Countdown To Conflict
by Allen the Musician
Summary: Third installment of the Enemies Within Series. The war with Aizen is fast approaching and everyone must prepare to defend Soul Society and the world of the living. Ichigo and Shinigami vs Aizen and Espada. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated.
1. Deja Vu

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, never have and never will.

A/N- AU. This story does not follow the story line of Bleach. This is the third installment of my trilogy which began with Enemy in Soul Society and continued with Understanding. Now the war with Aizen is fast approaching and the Shinigami, along with Ichigo and his friends, must prepare for a battle the likes of which they have never encountered.

Countdown to Conflict

Chapter One - Deja Vu

As Squad Ten Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya made his way across Karakura Town to the small shop that was operated by the Acting Captain of Squad Twelve he could barely control his annoyance over the fact that he was once again stuck in the world of the living. Head Captain Ukitake had told him that he was the best person to act as the go between for Soul Society and those fighters in the world of the living however the young captain was convinced that that was not the sole reason why he was now trapped here, again. It was true that he'd spent some time with the fighters in the world of the living after he was attacked by the Reiatsu Poison Darts however that alone did not make him the most qualified person for this job and Hitsugaya couldn't help but think that had he not gone to Hueco Mundo in pursuit of Hinamori he would not have received this deplorable assignment.

Growling low in his throat Hitsugaya reached out and knocked on the door of Kisuke Urahara's shop. A few minutes passed by and then the young captain heard a familiar voice call out, "Come in."

Sliding the door open Hitsugaya stepped inside and then quickly made his way back to the small back room where he knew without a doubt that he would find the Acting Captain of Squad Twelve, Kisuke Urahara. And sure enough, as he stepped through the open door, he saw that Urahara was sitting at a small table, along with his almost constant companion Yoruichi Shihoin. The shop keeper was wearing his familiar green and white striped hat and he glanced at his visitor from underneath it.

"Well I must say you're not the person I was expecting," Urahara said as he focused his gaze on Hitsugaya. "So tell me, what brings the Captain of Squad Ten back to my humble little shop?"

"I was assigned to the world of the living to help with the Arrancar problem," Hitsugaya replied in a quiet and somewhat resigned tone of voice, unable to completely hide his annoyance with the situation. "And to act as a go between for the fighters here and Soul Society."

"So how exactly did you get this job Toushirou?" Urahara asked, completely ignoring the look of displeasure that appeared on the young captain's face and was more than likely caused by the fact that he'd addressed the boy in the familiar.

"This is punishment," Hitsugaya snarled under his breath, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. "I don't care what Ukitake says."

Urahara chuckled softly to himself however he chose not to comment on the boy's obvious displeasure over the situation.

"Just remember Captain Hitsugaya," Yoruichi said quietly from her spot beside Urahara. "It could be worse."

"Oh it's about to be," Hitsugaya said in a low tone of voice, rolling his eyes. "I have to go and see the Kurosakis next."

"You mean you're not looking forward to that?" Urahara asked with a smirk, enjoying the expression that appeared on the Squad Ten Captain's face.

"Of course I'm not looking forward to it!" Hitsugaya burst out, his eyes narrowing at the mere thought of once again being stuck around the Substitute Shinigami. Sure his powers were extraordinary but he was by far one of the most obnoxious people that the young captain had ever met. "Ichigo delights in tormenting me."

"That would be because your reactions are always so great," Urahara informed the startled young captain. "If you'd just ignore his little taunts then he'd eventually lose interest and stop picking on you."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Hitsugaya said as he turned to leave. "Well I came to tell you that I was here and I did so now I'm leaving."

"Have fun Toushirou!" Urahara called out as the young captain of Squad Ten walked away.

"GRRR!"

"You know Kisuke," Yoruichi said with a chuckle as she and Urahara heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. "I get the impression that he isn't overly fond of this particular assignment."

"That's funny," Urahara said with a grin, picking up the cup that was sitting in front of him on the small table and taking a sip of tea. "I got the exact same impression."

* * *

Once Hitsugaya left Urahara's shop the young captain made his way across town to the small clinic that was operated by Isshin Kurosaki and where the former Shinigami lived with his three children, Ichigo and his sisters Yuzu and Karin. "I can't believe that Ukitake's making me do this," Hitsugaya muttered under his breath as he walked up to the clinic's front door.

In all honesty, considering what he'd done in order to save Hinamori from her own stupidity, Hitsugaya supposed that he should be grateful that this was his only punishment. Head Captain Ukitake could easily have stripped him of his title and had him thrown in jail for treason however for reasons unknown he had opted not to do that.

Hitsugaya raised his hand to knock on the door but before his clenched fist made contact with the wood he hesitated. _"I think I would have preferred prison."_

The young captain shook his head furiously, irritated by his own hesitancy, and once again raised his hand toward the door however, just as he was about to knock Hitsugaya heard a voice call out loudly from behind him.

"Oi it's Toushirou!"

Grinding his teeth in annoyance Hitsugaya whirled around and came face to face, figuratively speaking of course, with the orange haired Substitute Shinigami. "Dammit Kurosaki! How many times do I have to tell you that it's Captain Hitsugaya before it sinks through that thick skull of yours?"

"A lot apparently," Rukia said quietly from her spot beside Ichigo. The Squad Thirteen member bowed respectfully to the young captain and then gazed at him with a questioning expression in her eyes. "What brings you back to the world of the living Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Head Captain Ukitake thought that I could be of use," Captain Hitsugaya said shortly. "So here I am."

Like everyone else that Hitsugaya had spoken to since arriving in the world of the living Rukia couldn't help but pick up on the fact that the young captain didn't seem at all happy about his assignment. Not that she could really blame him considering the way he and Ichigo had gotten along the last time that he'd been stationed here. Ichigo HAD made it a point to give the young captain a really hard time during his last confinement in the world of the living.

"So what exactly did you do to deserve this Toushirou?" Ichigo asked, a questioning expression in his brown eyes. "It must have been something seriously bad to warrant this level of punishment."

"I went to Hueco Mundo," Hitsugaya replied after a moment's hesitation during which he debated whether or not he should lie.

Ichigo stared at the young captain for a few minutes, trying to figure out whether or not the white-haired prodigy was lying to him, and then his eyes widened as he realized that Hitsugaya was telling him the truth. "And why the hell would you do something like that?" he demanded.

"To save a friend," Hitsugaya replied shortly, glaring at Ichigo. Although he was still somewhat irritated by Hinamori's blatant stupidity it wasn't a topic that he was willing to discuss with anyone and especially not with the Substitute Shinigami.

"Okay then," Ichigo said, holding up his hands. "So are you going to be staying with us this time around Toushirou?"

"Not on your life Kurosaki," Hitsugaya growled, his eyes narrowed in anger. "And it's Captain Hitsugaya."

This said Hitsugaya turned to leave however he paused when he heard the sound of the clinic door opening. Instinctively the young captain whirled around toward the sudden, loud noise and the sight that met his gaze gave him pause. Isshin Kurosaki had just thrust the door open and, without a word to any of them, he engaged his son in a fight.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Ichigo muttered as he blocked a furious kick aimed at him by his father. "Dammit Dad!"

"You've gotta be on your toes Ichigo!" Isshin told his son as he continued to aim countless punches and kicks at the boy's head.

"You know," Ichigo growled as he easily blocked the blows from his father. "This was old way before I knew the reasoning behind it." This said Ichigo grasped his father by the wrist and promptly flipped the man over onto his back. "You know I can take care of myself now so leave me the hell alone already!"

A smirk appeared on Hitsugaya's face as he watched Ichigo being tormented by his father and then, once the former Captain of Squad Six was lying on his back on the ground, he turned to face Rukia, who was also watching the fight with interest. "Do they always act like this?"

"Always," Rukia replied, rolling her eyes. "Those two fight more than Ichigo and Renji, which is saying something."

"Hmm," Hitsugaya said thoughtfully.

"So Toushirou," Isshin said as he got to his feet and knocked the dirt from his clothes, acting as though nothing had happened. He focused his gaze on the white-haired boy standing next to Rukia and offered the young captain a friendly smile. "You're going to be staying with us while you're in the world of the living right?"

"No."

"That's strange," Isshin said, reaching up and scratching the back of his head with his hand. "Ukitake asked me if you could stay here and I told him that you could."

_"You have got to be kidding me," _Hitsugaya thought to himself as he pulled his communicator from his pocket and flipped it open. The young captain took a couple of steps away from the group and contacted Soul Society and when he flipped the communicator closed it was obvious to all that the conversation had not gone well. There was a scowl on the Squad Ten Captain's face as he rejoined the group.

"I guess I am staying here," Hitsugaya muttered, his voice full of irritation.

"Glad to have you." Isshin offered the white-haired boy a broad smile before he made his way back into the clinic.

_"This isn't right," _Hitsugaya thought to himself. _"And Ukitake said that I wasn't going to be punished for going to Hueco Mundo."_

"Cheer up," Ichigo said, breaking into the young captain's thoughts. "It could be worse."

"No it couldn't," Hitsugaya said, focusing his gaze on the Substitute Shinigami and thinking to himself that there was no way that his situation could possibly get any worse. No, being stuck here with Ichigo Kurosaki was the worst possible fate.

"You know Rukia," Ichigo said, turning away from Hitsugaya and back to her. "I don't think that he's happy to be here."

"Gee Ichigo I wonder why not," Rukia said, her voice filled to over flowing with sarcasm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo demanded, clenching his hands into fists and glaring down at Rukia.

"Ugh," Hitsugaya groaned as he listened to the two of them argue. He reached up and massaged his temples with the tips of his fingers, feeling the beginnings of a headache forming. "This is not how I envisioned spending my time in the world of the living."

TBC. . .

A/N- And there it is. The beginning of the end. Feedback is greatly appreciated so please read and review and let me know what you think. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	2. New Recruits

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, never have and never will.

Chapter Two- New Recruits

Her captain had departed for the world of the living earlier that morning and, much to her dismay, Squad Ten vice-captain Rangiku Matsumoto found herself once again in charge of the every day affairs of Squad Ten. She was seated at the captain's desk, forcing herself to work on the small stack of paperwork that Captain Hitsugaya had left behind when he'd left, when she heard a knock on the door.

Grateful beyond measure for the reprieve, however brief it may turn out to be, Matsumoto glanced up from her papers and focused her gaze on the office door. "Come in."

The door slid open, barely making a sound, and Head Captain Ukitake stepped into the office. He closed the door behind himself, made his way across the room, and offered Matsumoto a knowing smile. "How are things Rangiku?"

Matsumoto's first impulse was to complain about her current situation and she opened her mouth to do just that however one look at the Head Captain's face was enough to make her change her mind. Ukitake was doing a good job of leading the Thirteen Court Guard Squads however the stress of the job was plainly visible in his eyes. "Things are going alright sir."

Head Captain Ukitake nodded his head in understanding, fully aware of what she was doing. "I came to inform you that Squad Ten will be getting several new members. Due to the coming war the Academy's Advanced Program students have been working extra hard and several of them just passed the graduation exam. I'll bring them by tomorrow so that you can meet them and make plans for training schedules."

Matsumoto nodded. "I understand sir."

"Well that's all I needed," Ukitake said, glancing down at the paperwork sitting on the desk briefly and then focusing his gaze back on the Squad Ten vice-captain. He offered her an encouraging smile. "I guess I'll leave you to your work. See you tomorrow Rangiku."

"Good-bye sir," Matsumoto said softly, her eyes following the Head Captain until he disappeared. Then, with a heavy sigh, she picked up her pen and continued with the paperwork, thinking as she did so that now not only would she have the dreaded and much loathed paperwork to deal with but she would also have to work on training both the new members of Squad Ten and the old.

"I could really use your help with this Captain," Matsumoto thought to himself, a picture of her ever efficient captain appearing in her mind.

* * *

Early the next morning Matsumoto forced herself out of bed, literally, and made her way back to the Squad Ten office. As she opened the door it occurred to her just how strange an occurrence this was; her arriving at the office and finding no one there.

"I can do this," she snapped to herself, fixing a determined look on her face and walking quickly across the office. She sat down at the desk and when she heard a knock on the door a couple of hours later her paperwork was complete.

"Come in," Matsumoto called out as she straightened the stack of paperwork, pleased despite herself that she'd actually managed to get it all finished.

The door of the office slid open and Head Captain Ukitake once again stepped into the office, this time followed closely behind by a group of about twenty people. The group made their way across the office and then came to a stop in front of the desk behind which Matsumoto sat.

As the group walked toward her, Matsumoto's gaze focused upon a young girl who was walking at the front of the group. This particular new recruit stood out from the others because she was nearly the same height as Captain Hitsugaya, maybe even an inch or two shorter, and appeared to be roughly around the same age. The girl had strangely colored hair which seemed to contain every color imaginable, although the main color was a rich brown. The girl wore her hair cut short and partially pulled back into two pig-tails at the top of her head, and had eerie blue eyes, eyes so pale that they appeared almost colorless.

Despite her young appearance the girl walked with an air of confidence, unlike the rest of the group who were all making a conscious effort not to be in the front of the group, and when the group reached the desk she offered Matsumoto a friendly smile.

"Good morning Vice-Captain Matsumoto," Ukitake said cheerfully, gesturing toward the group of Shinigami that was assembled behind him. "These are the newest members of Squad Ten."

Having said this the Head Captain proceeded to introduce the group to their commanding officer however the only one that Matsumoto immediately committed to memory was that of the young girl who appeared to be around the same age as her captain.

Kin Soma.

After the introductions Ukitake sent the new recruits to wait outside in the courtyard and, once they were gone, he turned his attention back to Matsumoto. "Since Captain Hitsugaya is currently stationed in the world of the living I tested them all myself and only one of them was good enough to earn an officer's seat upon entry."

"Oh," Matsumoto said, thinking about how much work it was going to take in order to get the new recruits up to speed. "And which one was that sir?"

"Kin Soma."

Matsumoto's eyes widened upon hearing that the young girl was the only one in the group talented enough for a ranked position in the squad. "Really?"

Ukitake nodded. "I heard from her teachers at the Academy that the girl is somewhat of a prodigy and from what I witnessed it's obvious that she definitely has talent. Kin's good enough fresh from the Academy to be the third seat officer of Squad Ten."

"Hmm," Matsumoto said thoughtfully. "She'll fit right in here."

Head Captain Ukitake smiled. "Well now that you've all been introduced I'll leave them to you Rangiku."

Matsumoto nodded. "We'll get right to work sir."

This said Matsumoto quickly got to her feet and together she and the Head Captain left the office. They made their way out to the courtyard where the new recruits were all assembled and Ukitake offered them one final encouraging smile as he walked away, leaving them with Matsumoto.

"Alright," the Squad Ten vice-captain said, clapping her hands together and smiling at the group. "I know that the Head Captain already tested you and determined your rank within the squad however I want to see for myself what you're capable of so let's all go out to the training grounds."

"Yes ma'am," the group chorused in one voice, quickly falling into step behind Matsumoto.

When they arrived at the Squad Ten training grounds Matsumoto motioned for the new members to form a semi-circle and, once they had complied, she offered them another broad smile. "First of all I would like to welcome you to Squad Ten. Our captain is currently stationed in the world of the living which means that for the time being I'm in charge so if you have any problems feel free to come to me. Now, having said this, I need to assess everyone's skill level so that I can set up a training program that works for everyone. Is that okay with you guys?"

"Yes ma'am," the group all chorused once again.

"Excellent," Matsumoto said beaming. "Let's get started."

Matsumoto fought briefly with each of the new squad members, determining as she did so exactly what level they were on. All of them performed remarkably well considering the fact that they were fresh out of the Academy however Matsumoto was most impressed with the new third seat officer.

Like Captain Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru, Kin's zanpaktou was also of the ice/snow type and she wielded it with amazing grace and skill.

_"This girl definitely has promise," _Matsumoto thought to herself as she watched Kin sheath her sword.

"Thank you all," Matsumoto said once everyone had had their turn. "You did very well. You may all take the rest of today off and we'll begin training around mid-day tomorrow. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

Matsumoto nodded. "Until then you're all dismissed."

As soon as they heard those words the group began to disperse. For the most part the new recruits broke up into smaller groups and began to walk away from the training grounds, chatting happily amongst themselves. The one exception to this was Kin. The young girl made her way toward the barracks completely alone, walking a few feet behind everyone else.

_"So it's like that for her as well," _Matsumoto thought to herself sadly as she watched the young girl walk away. Thinking that maybe Kin could use some words of encouragement Matsumoto took a couple of steps in the direction she was walking however she paused as Kin abruptly used her flash-step and disappeared. _"Maybe we can talk tomorrow."_

When Kin left the battlefield, instead of making her way to her new room in the Squad Ten barracks, she went to the entrance of the courtyard of Squad Five.

"Kin!" an excited voice called out as she came to a stop in front of the wall that enclosed the Squad Five barracks.

Kin's blue eyes shifted in the direction that the voice had came from and she smiled as her gaze fell upon her best friend. "Hey Kaiya. So how was your first day as an official Shinigami?"

"Not bad," Kaiya Maekawa told her best friend and former classmate. "I made fourth seat and our Acting Captain seems really nice."

"That's good," Kin said sincerely.

"So how are things in Squad Ten?" Kaiya asked, an excited expression in her eyes.

"I made third seat," Kin told her. "And Vice-Captain Matsumoto is great."

"Didn't you meet your Captain?" Kaiya asked, a questioning look in her eyes. Both young Shinigami had heard about the Captain of Squad Ten during their time in the Academy and they were curious about the young prodigy who had made it to captain in record time.

Kin shook her head. "Captain Hitsugaya is currently stationed in the world of the living."

"That's too bad," Kaiya said, shaking her head. "I was really curious whether all the stories about him are true."

"Probably not," Kin said with a smirk.

"Hmm," Kaiya said thoughtfully. Then she shrugged and offered her friend a smile. "Oh well. I guess we'll just have to hang in suspense for a little while longer."

Kin rolled her eyes in the direction of her best friend. "You are such a weirdo."

Kaiya smiled broadly. "Freak."

"Yes," Kin said. "Yes I am."

"So," Kaiya said, abruptly changing the subject. "I have the rest of the day off and from the looks of things so do you. Would you like to go out and train for a little while?"

"Of course!" Kin exclaimed. "Like I'd turn down a chance to beat you up."

Kaiya smirked. "You know if anyone normal heard half of our conversations they'd think that we were messed up in the head."

Kin arched a brow at that. "You mean we're not?"

"You have a point," Kaiya admitted.

"Of course I do," Kin said. "Now come on. I want to know if you've improved any since the last time I kicked your butt."

"It was two weeks ago," Kaiya said, rolling her eyes in the direction of her best friend and blowing out an exasperated breath. "So the answer to that question is no."

"Well I'm disappointed," Kin said with a long suffering sigh.

"You'll live," Kaiya assured her.

"Hmm," Kin said.

TBC. . .

A/N- And thus ends chapter two. Introduced a couple of new characters one of which will prove to be extremely important. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Until the next time, this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	3. The Way Things Were

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, not even the kind designed to keep whites white

Chapter Three - The Way Things Were

"Oi Toushirou!"

Hitsugaya groaned under his breath as the obnoxious sound of Ichigo Kurosaki's voice woke him from a sound sleep. He, Ichigo and Rukia had spent most of the night battling various Hollow and Arrancar and he was in no way ready to get up. Mumbling incoherent curses to the Substitute Shinigami, the young captain rolled over on the cot where he was sleeping and pulled the blanket up over his head.

"Don't ignore me you little. . ." Narrowing his eyes Ichigo strode over to the roll away bed that his dad had once again supplied to their strange houseguest, grabbed the blanket that was covering the young captain, and pulled fiercely.

"Hey!" Hitsugaya exclaimed as he sat up and grabbed for the blanket that Ichigo was now holding over his head.

An annoying smirk plastered on his face, Ichigo eyed the young captain and continued to hold the blanket up out of his reach. "You have to get up and get ready for school."

"Like hell I do!" Hitsugaya snapped, fixing an icy gaze on the orange haired menace. "Your dad knows who and what I am so there's absolutely no way in hell that I'm going to go through that again."

"You have to," Ichigo growled, aiming a furious kick at the legs of the cot. Ichigo smirked in satisfaction as he watched the legs of the flimsy bed buckle however the grin quickly fell from his face as Hitsugaya leapt light from the bed mere seconds before it collapsed in a heap.

"What the hell is your problem Kurosaki?!" Hitsugaya demanded, staring at Ichigo through narrowed eyes.

Ichigo shivered slightly as he felt the room's temperature drop a couple of dozen degrees. "My dad may know that we're both freaks but my sisters don't."

That comment served to relieve some of Hitsugaya's anger over the situation and the room's temperature rose accordingly. Muttering more curses under his breath Hitsugaya got up and quickly dressed in the school uniform that had once again been provided for him.

Once the white-haired captain was dressed Ichigo opened his mouth to tell his guest to cheer up however before the words could escape his lips Rukia came in through the open window and interrupted the fight before it had the chance to break out.

"Good morn. . ." Rukia's cheery voice faltered as she entered the room and realized that she could actually see her breath. Her gaze swept back and forth from Ichigo to Hitsugaya and her expression said plain as words, "What exactly happened here?"

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo called out, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the room.

"Hey," Rukia said. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No," Ichigo said, shaking his head and offering Rukia a smile. "Toushirou and I were just talking about school."

The reaction to that comment was immediate and fierce. Hitsugaya whirled around and seized Ichigo by the collar of his shirt. "Captain Hitsugaya," the young prodigy snarled, glaring at Ichigo and looking for all the world as though he'd like nothing better than to strangle the roommate that had been forced upon him.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo said with a shrug, turning away from the irate captain and pulling his shirt free from Hitsugaya's grasp. "I'll try to keep that in mind. Now come on or else we'll be late for school."

Eyes narrowed in disgust Hitsugaya never the less followed Ichigo and Rukia, who both opted to depart the clinic through the open window of Ichigo's bedroom. Landing lightly on the ground Hitsugaya followed Ichigo and Rukia until they were out of sight of the clinic however when they came to a crossroads Hitsugaya chose the path opposite to the one that his two companions were taking.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Ichigo called out as soon as he noticed that Hitsugaya was no longer following them.

"Skipping class," Hitsugaya replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Why you little. . ." Ichigo turned and took a couple of steps toward the Captain of Squad Ten however he froze dead in his tracks as he felt a tremendous reiatsu radiating from some distance away. "What the hell is that?" he asked, his gaze shifting back and forth between Rukia and Hitsugaya.

"Bad," Hitsugaya replied, pulling a small device resembling a PEZ dispenser from the front pocket of his shirt.

"That's what I thought," Ichigo said, his hand closing around the badge that hung from his belt.

"Not here you idiot," Rukia said, grabbing his hand and preventing him from using the Substitute Shinigami badge that Ukitake had given him so that he could assume his Shinigami form even when he didn't have Kon. "You can't just leave your body lying in the street. Remember what happened the last time?"

Ichigo shuddered at the memory and released his grip on the badge. "You're right Rukia. I'll wait."

"Let's go," Hitsugaya said, turning in the direction that the reiatsu was radiating from.

Both Ichigo and Rukia nodded and together the trio dashed off in pursuit of the unknown. They traveled together, as quickly as was possible owing to the fact that Ichigo couldn't assume his Shinigami form yet, and when they arrived at a clearing in the center of a large grove of trees their eyes widened in surprise. Standing in the center of the clearing was a huge man wearing half of a Hollow mask. The man wasn't wearing a shirt and Hitsugaya could plainly see the number ten that was tattooed on his bicep. The young captain growled low in his throat; this was definitely not good.

"Arrancar," Ichigo muttered as he used his badge to assume his Shinigami form.

"Not just an Arrancar," Hitsugaya said as he quickly pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. "This one is an Espada, one of Aizen's personal army."

"You're kidding right?" Ichigo said, turning to face the young captain.

Hitsugaya didn't respond to the question verbally, he merely turned and gazed over at Ichigo.

"Right," Ichigo said, grabbing the hilt of Zangetsu and drawing the sword. "I forgot you don't have a sense of humor."

Hitsugaya chose to ignore this comment and instead focused on the big, burly Espada that was standing a mere few yards away from them. The huge man turned his gaze on the three new arrivals and sneered in their direction.

"I can't believe Lord Aizen thinks the three of you are a threat," the Espada said, obviously not impressed with the threat that Ichigo and his companions posed. "I'll prove to him how useful I can be."

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo snarled, holding Zangetsu out in front of him and fixing the Espada with a look of utmost loathing.

"My name is Yami," the big man snarled. "But you won't have to remember it because you'll be dead long before you have time to forget."

"Feh," Ichigo said as he raised his blade.

"Oh here we go," Rukia said, rolling her eyes and drawing her own sword.

Hitsugaya had fought a former Espada during his visit to Hueco Mundo and he knew that the fight he and the others were facing would not be an easy one for them to win however he was convinced that their combined powers should be more than enough to beat one Arrancar, even an Espada.

Ichigo held up his zanpaktou and Hitsugaya and Rukia quickly mirrored this action.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo swung the blade of Zangetsu, releasing his trademark attack however the huge Arrancar unleashed an energy attack of his own. This huge ball of light knocked Ichigo's attack out of the way as though it were nothing and flew straight toward the shocked Substitute Shinigami.

"What the. . ."

"Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!" Leaping forward Hitsugaya quickly swung the blade of his own zanpaktou and used the large ice dragon to deflect the cero before the attack struck Ichigo.

"Thanks Toushirou," Ichigo said, recovering from his shock and once again raising Zangetsu.

Hitsugaya muttered curses under his breath at the use of his first name however now was not the time to have that particular fight. Making a mental note to knock Ichigo senseless when the battle was over Hitsugaya prepared for another attack.

"Dance Sode no Shiraiyuki! First dance, White Moon!"

Yami stumbled back as he was faced with yet another attack comprised of ice. This battle was not going at all the way he'd envisioned and his eyes narrowed as he gazed over at the three Shinigami brats. There was simply no way that they should be a match for him, even if there were three of them.

"He doesn't look happy," Ichigo commented as he once again raised Zangetsu.

"You have that effect on people Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya snapped as he leapt into the air and pointed the tip of Hyourinmaru's blade toward the ground. The young captain stabbed the tip of his zanpaktou into the ground and then watched as shards of ice shot up from the ground and flew toward the Espada. Unfortunately, at the last possible second, an energy burst came as though from nowhere and knocked Hitsugaya's attack to the side, away from it's intended target.

"Enough!" a cold voice called out, halting the battle with that single word. The voice was not high in volume and yet it carried enough force to stop them all in their tracks.

"Ulquiorra!" Yami exclaimed as his gaze fell upon a figure emerging from the icy mist that had been caused by Hitsugaya's attack.

"Yami," the new arrival said, focusing his stoic gaze on the large Espada and completely ignoring the three Shinigami. "You were supposed to report your findings back to Lord Aizen. Why have you been delayed?"

"I can beat them," Yami insisted, his gaze shifting from Ulquiorra and returning to the three Shinigami who were standing only a few feet away.

Ulquiorra shook his head, his face showing absolutely no emotion. "No. Those were not the orders issued to you by Lord Aizen. You were supposed to assess any threats here and then report back immediately."

"But. . ." Yami began however he was interrupted by Ichigo. "I don't know why you came here but you're in league with that bastard Aizen so there's no way I'm going to allow you to leave here alive." This said the Substitute Shinigami quickly raised his zanpaktou and swung it. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

His face remaining completely devoid of emotion Ulquiorra countered Ichigo's attack with ease. Then a huge hole appeared out of nowhere, through which the two Arrancar stepped. The hole closed immediately and they disappeared.

"Dammit!" Ichigo swore as he watched the two of them disappear.

Also annoyed at the situation but not feeling the need to be quite so vocal about it Hitsugaya sheathed his sword and turned away from the battle ground.

"This is the way things were the last time you were here," Ichigo said, turning his attention to the young, white-haired captain. "Where ever you go, trouble always seems to follow."

Hitsugaya shrugged his shoulders, unable to deny the fact that there was definitely some truth to those words.

"Come on," Rukia said to her two companions as she returned to her gigai. "We should probably go."

"Alright," Ichigo said as he walked over to his body, which he had discarded on the ground when he'd used his badge to assume his Shinigami form. "But after the morning that we just had I think I'm gonna take a page out of Toushirou's book and skip class today."

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

Ichigo merely laughed and continued on his way.

TBC. . .

A/N- And so ends another chapter. Do any of you guys like this fic? Just curious. I promise things will pick up, what with the fact that they have to fight a war so just be patient. Until the next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	4. Reprieve, Kinda

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Four - Reprieve, Kinda

Three weeks had passed since the new recruits had joined Squad Ten and Matsumoto was beginning to feel slightly overwhelmed. Not only did she have to work with them almost every day but she also had to help the older members of the squad train as well, not to mention keep up with all of the paperwork. And as if all of this weren't enough she was under orders from Captain Hitsugaya to achieve Bankai so she had to find time to train herself on top of everything else.

"I seriously don't see how the Captain copes with this stress."

"Are you alright Vice-Captain Matsumoto?" a voice called out, jarring the Squad Ten vice-captain from her thoughts. Matsumoto whirled around quickly and saw that it was her third seat officer.

"Hi Kin," Matsumoto said quietly, gazing down at the young girl. "I'm fine, just lost in thought."

"I see," Kin said thoughtfully, gazing up at her superior in an appraising sort of way. "You look stressed."

"Maybe a little," Matsumoto admitted, offering the girl a smile. "But I don't exactly have time to be stressed right now so it'll just have to go away. You guys have a training session today, not to mention the fact that I have three reports that I have to finish."

"You know," Kin spoke up. "I know we don't have any battle experience but we could probably manage to train amongst ourselves for one day without any casualties."

Matsumoto considered Kin's words for a few moments and then she offered the young girl another broad smile. "Not alone. YOU can work with them."

"Me?" Kin asked, thinking to herself that this wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind.

Matsumoto nodded. "You may lack battle experience but you're way ahead of the others. I'm sure you could lead one training session."

"Okay," Kin said slowly. "If you really think I can do it, then I'll give it a try."

"Wonderful," Matsumoto exclaimed, her smile widening. "That will give me time to finish those reports." As she spoke it occurred to Matsumoto how completely odd it was that she was actually excited about having time to do her paperwork. "This. . . is disturbing."

Matsumoto was jarred from her thoughts on how messed up she was becoming by a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door of the Squad Ten office slid open and Head Captain Ukitake stepped inside.

"Kin," Matsumoto said, turning her attention back to her young subordinate. "Why don't you go rally the troops and get started?"

Kin nodded, bowed respectfully to the Head Captain, and quickly left the office.

Once the young girl had departed Matsumoto turned pleading eyes to the Head Captain. "I know you're probably not going to believe this but I swear I'm working on those reports."

Ukitake held up his hands in a placating manner. "Calm down Rangiku. I know you've been working really hard these past few weeks and although you haven't complained about the situation I know it's been rough. It is for that reason that I'm recalling Toushirou back to Soul Society from the world of the living."

Matsumoto's face lit up upon hearing this news. "The Captain's coming back?"

Head Captain Ukitake nodded, having known that this news would make her day. "I'm dispatching Renji to replace him in the world of the living. Although he's Acting Captain of Squad Thirteen, he's the only new member they have and Squad Ten could really use their Captain right now."

"I agree," Matsumoto said.

Ukitake smiled. "I thought that you probably would. Renji isn't leaving for the world of the living until tomorrow however I have decided to recall Toushirou today. Is there any chance you'd like to be the bearer of good news Rangiku?"

"Absolutely!"

Ukitake's smile widened at her enthusiasm. He knew that he could just as easily have sent the message to Hitsugaya via the communicator that he'd been issued when he'd left Soul Society however Matsumoto really had done a good job of leading Squad Ten and had more than earned this little field trip. "I'll see you when you get back."

Matsumoto nodded, offered the Head Captain one final smile and then quickly left the office.

"I can't wait to see the look on the Captain's face when I tell him the good news," the Squad Ten vice-captain thought to herself as she left the Seireitei and traveled through the Senkaimon to the world of the living. Captain Hitsugaya had been stuck with the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki for just over three weeks and Matsumoto could imagine the look of displeasure that would be plastered all over his face. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face, brought on by these thoughts.

When Matsumoto arrived in the world of the living she quickly traced the reiatsu of her Captain. Using her flash-step the vice-captain quickly traveled to the spot where she could feel Captain Hitsugaya's reiatsu radiating from and when she arrived at the hill she saw Hitsugaya standing on a ledge, staring off into the distance.

"Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto jumped slightly as her captain snapped at her and yet she couldn't deny the fact that a small part of her had missed those little outbursts from him. "Hey Captain!"

"What are you doing here Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya asked, glaring at his vice-captain.

"I have good news!" Matsumoto told him, gazing down at her small captain and offering him a smile.

"What?"

"Head Captain Ukitake sent me to tell you that you've been recalled to Soul Society," Matsumoto informed him.

"What happened?" Captain Hitsugaya asked, a concerned expression on his face. He was sure that something bad must have happened in order for Ukitake to send for him.

"It's okay Captain," Matsumoto said. "Squad Ten got a bunch of new recruits a couple of weeks ago and the Head Captain thinks our squad needs it's captain. He's sending Renji to take your place here in the world of the living."

"Oh," Hitsugaya said, grateful that it wasn't something more serious; something involving Matsumoto and the destruction of Squad Ten, which was actually the scenario that had popped into his head when his vice-captain had informed him that he was going back to Soul Society. "Well, let's go."

"Um Captain," Matsumoto said. "Don't you think you should inform Ichigo that you've been replaced?"

Hitsugaya briefly debated the words of his vice-captain and then he reluctantly nodded his head. "As much as I would like to just leave and never come back, you're right. I should tell him that I'm leaving."

And so captain and vice-captain quickly made their way across Karakura Town toward the Kurosaki Clinic however they were only about half way there when the communicator that Hitsugaya was carrying in his pocket began to issue a series of insistent beeps. The young captain pulled the small device, which strongly resembled a cell phone, from his pocket and flipped it open.

"A group of Hollow," Hitsugaya said as he flipped the communicator closed and traded it for a small device which resembled a PEZ dispenser. The young captain quickly used the Gikongan to assume his Shinigami form and together he and Matsumoto dashed off, toward the spot where the Hollow were gathering.

When Hitsugaya and Matsumoto arrived at the scene of the Hollow invasion they saw that Ichigo and Rukia were already there, having arrived mere seconds before the two Squad Ten officers. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto both drew their swords and, together with Ichigo and Rukia, they quickly made short work of the group of Hollow.

"You know," Ichigo said as he sheathed Zangetsu. "After battling an Espada that was kind of anticlimactic."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "I'm leaving Kurosaki."

"What?" Ichigo asked, his eyes widening.

"I've been summoned back to Soul Society," Hitsugaya informed the Substitute Shinigami. "Renji will be my replacement."

Ichigo groaned.

* * *

"What do you mean you're in charge of our training session today?" Haruki Matsura exclaimed, glaring down at the young girl, who was a good two feet shorter than he was.

"It wasn't MY idea," Kin said, glaring at her colleague. His condescending tone annoyed the hell out of her and she wanted to make it perfectly clear that it wasn't her decision to lead anything. "I merely told Vice-Captain Matsumoto that we could train on our own today. She's the one who put me in charge."

"Well I don't like it," Matsura snapped angrily. "There's absolutely no way. . ."

"I know how we can solve this little problem," Kin said, interrupting the man's tirade and drawing her zanpaktou from the sheath she wore across her back.

"You're not serious," Matsura said, eyeing the blade that Kin was holding out in front of her.

"What's the matter?" Kin asked as she absently swung the blade of her zanpaktou. "Are you afraid to fight me?"

"Of course not!" Matsura snapped, his eyes narrowing.

"Alright then," Kin said with a smile. "Draw your sword."

"Fine," Matsura growled, pulling his sword from the sheath that he wore at his side. "But don't blame me if you get hurt."

Kin actually laughed at this statement. "Won't be a problem."

* * *

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said, turning to face his vice-captain. "Let's go."

"Aww," Matsumoto whined, focusing a pleading look on her Captain. "But Captain. . . do we have to go now?"

Hitsugaya opened his mouth to tell her yes however his mind flashed back to the way she'd looked when she had found him on the hill. Stress had been plainly visible, both on her face and more noticeably in her eyes, and his features softened a small degree. "I expect you back at Squad Ten. . ."

Matsumoto's face fell.

"In no less than five hours."

Realizing that he was giving her a small pass Matsumoto beamed down at her small Captain. "Thank you so much Captain!"

Hitsugaya shrugged off her words of thanks and turned away from her. The Squad Ten Captain traveled back to the Seireitei and, once he arrived there, he decided to travel to the training grounds. He could feel the reiatsu of the new recruits and decided to go and check it out.

Having decided on this course of action Hitsugaya used his flash-step and disappeared.

* * *

Matsura stumbled back as he was assaulted with a barrage of ice from Kin's zanpaktou. "What the hell? No way should she be this good. I know everyone calls her a prodigy but. . . damn."

"What's the matter Haruki?" Kin asked from a few feet away, holding up her zanpaktou and gazing over at him with an upraised eyebrow. "Are you afraid now?"

"NO!" Matsura snapped.

"Then there's only one thing for me to do," Kin said in a quiet voice. "I'll just have to do something about that. Sing to the clear, winter moon, Youkai Ookami!"

The haunting howl of a wolf echoed through the air as the blade of Kin's zanpaktou was enveloped by a white aura and the blade changed from the silver of steel to a stunning white. Kin swung the blade of the zanpaktou, launching a whirlwind of ice and snow. The attack soared toward Matsura, who just managed to jump out of the way, narrowly missing being struck by the attack.

Kin growled low in her throat as Matsura dodged the attack however the noises of displeasure ceased as someone new arrived on the battlefield. "Watch out!"

As Hitsugaya appeared at the Squad Ten training grounds he vaguely heard the sound of someone shouting however it was muffled by a roaring wind. The young captain's eyes widened as he saw the whirlwind however he'd flash-stepped right in it's path and it was too late to dodge.

Kin watched in horror as her attack struck the new arrival and she quickly ran over to her inadvertent victim. "What the HELL were you thinking, appearing out of nowhere at a battleground? You could have been. . ."

The young Shinigami's words trailed off as she neared the prone form that was lying on the ground and registered the white haori that he was wearing. "Wonderful," she thought to herself as she realized exactly who it was that she'd just knocked to the ground. Then her anger returned in full force; he more than anyone else should have known not to just appear on a battlefield. "I don't care if you are a captain, you should still be careful on a battleground."

As she said this Kin offered the stunned looking captain her hand which, after a moment's hesitation, he accepted. Kin pulled the captain to his feet and then gazed into his eyes, which were a striking shade of blue-green and held a confused expression. "You shouldn't have appeared like that. . ."

"You're right," Hitsugaya said in a quiet voice. Then he abruptly turned away from the young girl and walked away from the battleground.

Kin stared at the number ten on the back of his haori as he walked away, just beginning to feel the true horror of what she'd just done. "I just told off my captain. Oh hell."

"I can't believe you just did that," Matsura said, coming to stand beside Kin. "Not only did you take out our captain but you actually yelled at him about it."

"Oh shut up," Kin snapped.

* * *

As Hitsugaya walked across the Seireitei toward his office his thoughts returned to the girl whose attack had knocked him on his ass. He was annoyed that her attack had caught him off guard however in spite of himself he found that he was impressed with the fact that she'd actually had the guts to stand up to him and had even told him off. Most Shinigami, especially new recruits, were terrified of captains however not this girl. No, she'd actually told him off after she'd knocked him to the ground with a very impressive attack.

* * *

"Kaiya!" Kin called out as she quickly made her way down a corridor in the Squad Five barracks. She practically ran up to the door of Kaiya's room and knocked on it. She needed to speak to her best friend immediately and Kaiya had best be home if she knew what was good for her.

After a few moments the door opened and Kaiya stuck her head out into the hallway. "Kin, what is your problem?"

Kin pushed her way past her best friend and stepped inside the apartment. "I do have a problem. A MAJOR problem."

"What?" Kaiya asked as she closed the door and turned to face his friend.

"Well," Kin said, taking a deep breath. "Me and the other new recruits were out on the battlefield, and I was fighting this jerk Matsura, when all of a sudden this guy flash-stepped right in front of one of my attacks. I knocked him to the ground and. . ." Kin shuddered as she recalled the events of a couple of hours ago. "Then I yelled at him for being stupid and getting in the way."

"Well," Kaiya said. "It sounds to me like it was his own fault so what's the problem?"

"The guy I hit," Kin said. "was Captain Hitsugaya."

"Kin!" Kaiya exclaimed, her eyes widening as Kin's words sank in.

"I know," Kin said, shaking her head. "I can't believe I did it either but I did and now I think I'm in big trouble."

"Did he yell at you?" Kaiya asked.

Kin shook her head. "No. He just told me that I was right and then walked away. It was weird."

"Hmm," Kaiya said, gazing at her best friend. "Guess things are okay then."

"Why would you think that?" Kin asked.

"I've heard a lot about Captain Hitsugaya," Kaiya said. "And I get the impression that, had he really been mad then you'd know about it."

"Hmm."

TBC. . .

A/N- end of chapter four and Hitsugaya's back in Soul Society. Yay for him!


	5. Getting Acquainted

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Five- Getting Acquainted

A couple of days had passed since Kin had met and then inadvertently knocked the Captain of Squad Ten on his ass and she couldn't help but notice the fact that she hadn't seen her captain since that fateful day. Now Kin couldn't figure out whether Captain Hitsugaya was avoiding her in order to get over his anger over what had happened that day or if he was merely trying to think up some horrible punishment however the waiting and wondering was about to drive her crazy.

Kin realized that she really shouldn't have shouted at her captain however she hadn't been able to stop herself. Maybe it was wrong of her but she didn't think the fact that he was a captain should excuse the fact that he'd flash-stepped into a battlefield and gotten knocked on his ass as a result.

The Squad Ten third seat had reacted before she realized who the inadvertent victim was and yet even after she'd learned that it was Captain Hitsugaya she couldn't bring herself to change her opinion of the situation.

"Agh!" Kin exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I can't handle this anymore. If I'm in trouble he should at least have the decency to tell me."

With this thought in mind Kin left her apartment and made her way across the Squad Ten compound to the office that belonged to the Captain and Vice-Captain. Her anger built up during her trek down the winding hallways that led to the Captain's office and when she arrived Kin didn't even bother to knock on the door and announce her arrival as was proper. Instead she merely shoved the door open and barged into the room.

Jarred from his paperwork by the unexpected intrusion Captain Hitsugaya glanced up from the report that he'd been attempting to finish and watched, a slightly shocked expression in his teal eyes, as the girl from the training grounds strode across his office, a determined expression on her face. He hadn't seen her since that day and he vaguely wondered what it was that she wanted.

"Okay listen," Kin said as she came to a stop in front of his desk. "I know that what I said out on the training grounds was uncalled for, even though I still maintain that it was mostly your fault, so if you're going to punish me could you please just get it over with already? I can't handle this stress any more!"

Hitsugaya arched a brow at the girl, slightly impressed that once again she'd had the guts to speak her mind with him. Timid this girl definitely wasn't. Pushing back his chair, Hitsugaya got to his feet and walked around to the front of the desk. The Squad Ten Captain paused briefly when he was standing beside Kin and he said, in his sternest captain's voice, "Follow me."

With that Hitsugaya continued across the office toward the door and, after a moment's hesitation during which she wondered what exactly she'd just gotten herself into, Kin followed. The third seat officer took a couple of quick steps in order to catch up with her captain and together the two of them left the Squad Ten office.

Kin followed her captain as he led the way out of the Squad Ten barracks and across the Seireitei. She had no idea where exactly he was taking her and she could feel the butterflies begin to flutter around in her stomach as her thoughts wandered to all of the possibilities. She was so lost in thought that it seemed as though no time had passed before they came to a stop and she gazed around at her surroundings in surprise. Captain Hitsugaya had led them to the same training grounds where she and her colleagues had been training when she had inadvertently attacked him.

_"Strange," _Kin thought to herself as she gazed over at Captain Hitsugaya.

His gaze focused intently on his subordinate Hitsugaya reached up and grasped the hilt of Hyourinmaru. The young captain's expression remained stoic as he pulled Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back.

Kin's eyes widened as her gaze focused on the massively long blade that her captain held in front of him. _"Didn't think what I did was bad enough to kill me over."_

"Draw your sword," Hitsugaya said, breaking into the thoughts of his subordinate.

"Excuse me?" The Squad Ten third seat officer was confused. Normally those facing execution weren't given a chance to defend themselves.

"The attack you used the other day was impressive," Hitsugaya said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I want to see what you're capable of. Draw your sword."

Now more confused than ever Kin reached up and grasped the hilt of her own zanpaktou. She pulled the sword from it's sheath and held it up, it's tip pointing toward the heavens. This made absolutely no sense to her; first her captain avoids her for two days and then he brings her to the training grounds and challenges her to a match.

_"Oh well," _Kin thought to herself, her gaze never leaving the face of her captain. _"Guess I have no choice but to go with it and see what happens."_ With this thought in mind Kin called out, "Sing to the clear winter moon, Youkai Ookami!"

Hitsugaya watched as the blade of Kin's zanpaktou was enveloped by a white aura and the color of the blade went from silver to white. The haunting howl of a wolf echoed through the air and a shadowy silhouette of said creature appeared in the air above the young girl. The Squad Ten Captain held up his own zanpaktou, preparing for her attack, however Kin did not run at him as he expected. Instead she swung her sword and released the same whirlwind attack that she had hit him with a couple of days before.

"Not this time," Hitsugaya muttered to himself as he swung the blade of Hyourinmaru. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

Kin watched as a huge dragon comprised of ice and water erupted from the tip of Captain Hitsugaya's sword, effectively destroying her whirlwind of ice. "Damn," Kin muttered in awe. She'd heard stories about Captain Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru, the most powerful ice/snow type zanpaktou in all of Soul Society however the stories didn't do it justice.

Kin was jarred from her thoughts on how impressive Hitsugaya's zanpaktou was when the ice dragon soared toward her. "Pay attention!" Kin snapped to herself as she raised Youkai Ookami to block the attack. Twirling her sword Kin blocked the ice dragon although the force of the attack did knock her backward a couple of feet.

"Impressive," Hitsugaya said, his gaze focused on his subordinate.

"You're going easy on me," Kin said, locking her eyes with his. "And I don't like it."

* * *

"Vice-captian Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto looked up from the magazine that she was reading as one of the members of her squad ran into the office, an excited expression on his face. "What's up?"

"Captain Hitsugaya and that new recruit, Kin, are out at the training grounds," the man exclaimed, attempting to catch his breath. "I don't know if they're sparring or if he's mad about something but you have got to come and see this fight."

Matsumoto threw the magazine down on the couch, got to her feet, and followed her subordinate out of the Squad Ten compound and out to the training grounds. When she arrived she drew in a sharp breath as her eyes fell on Captain Hitsugaya, who was using Bankai, and Kin who had a smile on her face. "What in the world. . ."

"That's more like it," Kin said as she blocked an attack from her captain.

"Be careful what you ask for," Captain Hitsugaya muttered under his breath as he prepared to attack again. It was at this moment however that he realized that their little fight had drawn a crowd. Gazing around the young captain saw that the majority of Squad Ten was assembled around the battlefield, all with looks of interest on their faces.

Without warning Hitsugaya lowered his sword. "Battle's over."

"Huh?" Kin asked, her voice filled with surprise.

"I've seen all that I need to see," Hitsugaya told her. Then he turned and walked away from the battlefield, sheathing his sword as he walked.

"Well that was weird," Kin muttered under her breath as she watched him leave the training grounds.

"What exactly happened between you two?" Matsumoto asked as all of the other Squad Ten members walked away from the training grounds, muttering complaints under their breaths.

"Well," Kin said slowly. "I kinda barged into his office and demanded that he stop ignoring me. I told him that if he were going to punish me over what happened the other day then he should just do it already. That's sorta how we ended up here. He said that he wanted to see what I was capable of."

"Hmm," Matsumoto said, a strange gleam in her eyes.

"What?" Kin demanded.

"Oh nothing," Matsumoto said, offering the young girl a smile. "Come on. We should get back."

Kin nodded, still confused about the day's events.

A/N- And thus ends another installment of this story. The next chapter will center on the group in the world of the living. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Until next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	6. Enter the Vizard

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Six - Enter the Vizard

Acting Captain of Squad Nine Renji Abarai had just arrived in the world of the living and he was making his way across Karakura Town in the direction of the Kurosaki Clinic when he ran into Rukia. "Hey Rukia," Renji called out as he quickly covered the distance that separated the two of them.

"Renji," Rukia said, lifting her gaze so that she was looking her long-time friend directly in the eyes.

Renji gazed into his friend's eyes for a few moments before he gazed around as though looking for someone. "So where's Kurosaki?"

Rukia shrugged, a slightly concerned expression on her face. "I'm not exactly sure. He met this strange boy at school a couple of days ago and then yesterday he told me that he was going to be gone for awhile, for some kind of training."

"And you just let him go?" Renji asked, finding this little tidbit of information hard to believe.

"Yea," Rukia said. "It's not as though I had much of a choice in the matter. He said that he was going and then he went."

"Okay," Renji said, realizing that such things were far from unusual for the Substitute Shinigami. Once Ichigo got an idea into his head there was no way to talk him out of it, no matter how hard you might try. "So I guess it's up to me and you to protect this town while Kurosaki's out who knows where, training with who knows who."

"Basically," Rukia said.

Renji shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Of course. Leave it to Ichigo to run off to train and leave us with the responsibility of keeping the Arrancar under control. Typical."

"Oh just deal with it," Rukia said, shoving Renji. She could sense the reiatsu of Hollow close by so they had work to do. She didn't have time to listen to Renji complain about the fact that Ichigo wasn't around to help them with the battles.

* * *

"Alright," Ichigo said in a demanding voice as he faced the strange blonde boy who had approached him at school a couple of days ago. His eyes were narrowed and it was obvious that the Substitute Shinigami was irritated with his companion. "I want to know what the hell you are and how the hell you knew about me."

The blonde boy smirked. "My name is Shinji and I'm a Vizard."

"Vizard. . ." Ichigo repeated, raising his eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes," Shinji said with a smirk. "Just like you."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Ichigo snarled, his narrowed eyes focused on Shinji. He drew his sword and pointed the tip of the blade toward his annoying companion. "But you'd better start making sense unless you wanna die."

The Vizard merely offered Ichigo an infuriating grin, seemingly completely unconcerned by the Substitute Shinigami's threat. He reached a hand up and a mask appeared as though out of nowhere. Ichigo stood transfixed as the strange boy pulled the mask down over his face and when Shinji lunged toward him it was all that he could do to block the blow. "What the hell?" Ichigo exclaimed as he blocked the attack with Zangetsu and was pushed back by the sheer ferocity of the blow.

Now Ichigo was no stranger to tough battles; he'd fought against two Squad Captains and a powerful vice-captain during his attempt to save Rukia from execution however this battle was one of the most difficult that he'd faced during his short time as a Shinigami.

"Come on Ichigo," Shinji called out in a taunting voice as the two boys crossed blades again and again. "Call upon your Hollow. You don't stand a chance against me unless you do."

"How do you even know about that?" Ichigo snarled as he used the blade of Zangetsu to push his opponent back.

Shinji jumped back a few feet and gazed over at Ichigo calmly. "It doesn't matter how I know. All that matters is that you're one of us and I can help you master that power."

That's what Shinji had told him before and was the whole reason why Ichigo was with him now. He didn't completely trust the strange kid but he needed to master this power before it consumed and destroyed him. Up until now the Hollow had only appeared when he was close to defeat and it had never been consciously called upon by Ichigo however Shinji had said that he could help Ichigo learn to control the transformation and use it battle.

"Fine," Ichigo snapped. "Teach me to control it but if your try anything I swear I'll. . ."

Shinji pushed the Hollow mask up onto the top of his head and held up his hand, halting Ichigo's threat mid-sentence. "Please, no idle threats. I can teach you how to call upon the powers of the Hollow but whether or not you survive the training depends solely on you."

Ichigo growled low in his throat however he chose not to say anything else. He would survive the training and he would master the Hollow. After all, he had no other choice. The war with Aizen was fast approaching and they would need all of the powers that they possessed and then some if they were going to defeat him and his minions.

* * *

As the former Captain of Squad Five, Sousuke Aizen, sat on his throne in his fortress Las Noches, his thoughts were focused on the biggest threat to his plans of domination, the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki. It was true that the boy had proved to be nothing when Aizen had fought him in Soul Society, if it could even be called a fight. He'd defeated the boy's Bankai with one finger however months had passed since his treachery had been revealed to the Shinigami and it could not be denied that Ichigo's powers were growing increasingly more powerful.

Now the boy was training with a group of half-Hollow to learn to control a power that could indeed be formidable if he ever learned to harness it. This revelation had came on the heels of Hitsugaya's infiltration of Hueco Mundo during which the boy had fully mastered his Bankai and defeated a former Espada.

Aizen still viewed them as less than a threat however if they kept training as they were currently doing the two could definitely become a nuisance.

_"Something will have to be done," _Aizen muttered to himself, his cold gaze focused on the far wall of his throne room, picturing two young Shinigami in his mind's eye.

A/N- And thus ends yet another chapter. I realize that Ichigo's encounter with the vizard Shinji isn't the same here as it was in the anime however this story is AU and it is how I want it to be. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	7. Kin

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Seven - Kin

Third seat of Squad Ten Kin Soma awoke early and quickly dressed in her shihakusho. Then, once she'd pulled her hair up in her customary pig-tails, the young Shinigami grabbed her zanpaktou and tied the ice blue sash that she used to secure the sheathed sword across her back.

Everyone in Soul Society was worried about the winter war and the upcoming battle with the traitorous former Captain of Squad Five, Sousuke Aizen, and Kin was no different. It was true that she'd never met Aizen, she'd been in the Academy when the betrayal had occurred however she'd heard plenty of people speaking of his powers.

Kin knew that Aizen had defeated her Captain as well as Acting Captain Hinamori and had nearly killed them both. Then he'd gone up against Ichigo Kurosaki, who had already defeated two of the strongest Captains in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, and defeated his Bankai with a single finger. And as if all of that wasn't bad enough he'd escaped to Hueco Mundo while surrounded by several captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. No one had been able to stop him.

"And that's what we have to go up against," Kin thought to herself as she left her room in the Squad Ten barracks. "Plus there's his army."

Word had spread throughout Soul Society and everyone was well aware of the Hollow and Arrancar that Aizen had recruited to serve in his army. Kin had never fought against an Arrancar and had only fought a few Hollow in her short time as a Shinigami and she instinctively knew that she would have to train hard in preparation for the winter war.

"I will be ready," the young girl thought to herself as she made her way out to the training grounds. For the past few weeks she had been training on her own, without the aid of any of the other new members of Squad Ten. No one had wanted to train with her since that disastrous day when she had attacked Captain Hitsugaya and although her feelings had been slightly wounded Kin realized that it didn't really matter. She'd been virtually alone since the beginning anyway.

Called a prodigy and advancing rapidly through the Academy it was only natural that Kin had been an outsider to the other students. Kaiya had been the only one to stick by her and for that Kin would always be grateful to her best friend.

When Kin reached the training grounds she pulled her zanpaktou from the sheath that she wore secured across her back and held the blade parallel to the ground. The young Shinigami took a deep, calming breath and then raised her blade, calling out as she did so, "Sing to the clear winter moon, Youkai Ookami!"

The blade of Kin's zanpaktou turned from the silver of steel to the purest white as the silhouette of a wolf appeared over her head. The haunting howl of the wolf echoed in the wind as Kin swung the blade of her sword and unleashed a whirlwind attack of ice and snow. This was the most powerful attack that Kin had learned thus far in her training however once released the whirlwind was extremely hard to control and the young officer felt the pressing need to work on it.

"I have to get stronger," Kin thought to herself as she unleashed yet another whirlwind and then used her sword to direct the attack toward a bunch of targets that were positioned in intervals along the training grounds. Kin managed to use the attack to destroy four out of the six targets however that simply wasn't good enough for the girl. Growling low in her throat Kin used kidou to form several more targets, made of ice, and then she prepared for yet another attack.

* * *

Matsumoto was on her way back to the office after running an errand, and stopping to have a drink with Captain Kyouraku, and as she passed by the training grounds her roaming gaze fell upon a lone figure sitting beneath a tree. "Kin," Matsumoto thought to herself as she passed by the spot where the young girl was sitting, apparently lost in thought. She'd noticed that the other new squad members had been ignoring her as of late and she couldn't help but feel bad for the girl.

Shaking her head Matsumoto continued on her way to the office. She was already late, again and Captain Hitsugaya was going to be mad at her, again. Not that this was unusual or anything but the vice-captain had been making a conscious effort to annoy her captain less. Captain Hitsugaya was stressed out enough as it was.

"He needs to take a break from all that work he's been trying to do," Matsumoto thought to herself as she hurried toward the office. Besides the paperwork, which hadn't diminished even with the threat of war looming over everyone's heads, Captain Hitsugaya had been alternating training sessions between the new members of Squad Ten and the old. And as if all of this weren't exhausting enough the young captain also found time to work on his own training.

"The Captain definitely needs a break." As this thought went through her mind Matsumoto found herself once again thinking about Kin and she couldn't help but contemplate the similarities between the young girl and her captain. It was true that Kin and Captain Hitsugaya hadn't gotten off to a very good start however Matsumoto was convinced that the two of them would be good for one another.

"Hmm," Matsumoto thought, an evil grin appearing on her face. By this time Matsumoto had arrived at the Squad Ten office and she quickly slid the door open and stepped inside.

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya snapped as he lifted his gaze and watched as his vice-captain walked across the office toward his desk. "Where the hell have you been?"

Matsumoto quickly forced an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry Captain. I was on my way back to the office when I spotted something out at the training grounds and I had to stop and get a closer look."

"What was it?" Hitsugaya asked, curious to hear what excuse she'd came up with to cover up her tardiness.

"Oh I can't describe it," Matsumoto exclaimed, her blue eyes wide. "It's something that you just have to see for yourself. You should definitely go and check it out sir."

Despite himself Hitsugaya found that his curiosity had been piqued and the young captain got to his feet and walked across the office, toward the door.

Matsumoto smiled in triumph however the smile fell from her face as Hitsugaya called out over his shoulder, "I expect for your paperwork to be complete when I return."

"Captain!" Matsumoto called out in a plaintive voice.

* * *

After a short break Kin once again got to her feet and held up her zanpaktou. The girl was whole-heartedly dedicated to her training however in the back of her mind she realized that there was only so much she could do by herself.

"I'll have to see if Kaiya has time to spar with me later," Kin thought to herself as she swung her sword in an arch in front of her and summoned a violent snowstorm.

* * *

When Hitsugaya arrived at the Squad Ten training grounds he saw that the entirety of it was obscured by fiercely blowing snow. "Soma," he thought to himself, picturing the third seat officer of his squad. He knew without a doubt that she was the one responsible for this.

As Kin worked to control the blizzard that she had summoned with her zanpaktou she felt the arrival of a familiar reiatsu. With a fierce wave of her sword she banished the blowing snow and as it cleared her gaze fell upon Captain Hitsugaya.

"Captain Hitsugaya," Kin said as she lowered her blade. "What are you doing here?"

"As blunt as ever," Hitsugaya thought to himself as he gazed at the girl. Then he clenched his hands into fists as his mind called up the exchange between himself and Matsumoto. "She did this on purpose, I know she did."

"Sir?"

Hitsugaya was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of Kin's voice and as his gaze refocused on the girl he saw that she held a confused expression in her ice blue eyes. "I was walking by and I saw the blizzard produced by your zanpaktou," Hitsugaya replied in his usual, gruff voice. "Why are you training by yourself?"

A small smile appeared on Kin's face however Hitsugaya could see the sadness behind her eyes. "I think the others are scared of me now. Not that I can really blame them, after all my powers are kinda hard to fully control." A real smile appeared on the young girl's face at this point, one that reached all the way up to her eyes. "You should know that Captain, after all you experienced it first hand."

Hitsugaya's first impulse was to snap at the impertinent girl however try as he might he couldn't forget the sad look that he had seen in her eyes, the look that she was trying so hard to hide. The young captain thought back to Kin's file, which he had read upon his return to Soul Society, and he was almost certain that he knew the reason for the sadness that she fought so hard to hide. Kin's file had stated that she had graduated from the Shinigami Academy in a mere two years as opposed to the standard six and then she'd been the only new recruit who'd qualified for an officer's seat upon entry to the squad. Now Hitsugaya was no stranger to persecution and he knew first hand how difficult it was to be the smartest person in class.

"What's up with THAT look?" Kin demanded, breaking into Hitsugaya's thoughts.

Not having realized that his expression had changed the Squad Ten Captain immediately forced his facial features into a scowl. "What are you talking about?" he snapped.

Kin opened her mouth however quickly decided against what she was going to shout back at him. Instead she merely shrugged her shoulders. "Forget it." She knew that she'd seen a sympathetic look in his teal eyes however there was no point arguing with him about it because she also knew that there was no way in a million years that he'd ever admit to it. He would merely continue to deny everything and they would accomplish nothing. Kin wasn't big on pointless arguments so she gave up.

"So," Hitsugaya said in his customary, no nonsense tone of voice. "You wanna master that attack?"

Kin blinked her eyes a couple of times in surprise, unsure whether she'd heard him correctly. "Did he just offer to help me?"

"Do you want help with your training?" Hitsugaya snapped, deciding that he needed to make his intentions clearer. "Yes or no?"

"Yes!" Kin snapped, slightly irritated by his tone. Then she lowered her gaze and said, in a more polite tone of voice. "I would be grateful for any help you offer Captain."

Hitsugaya smirked as he drew Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back. "Use your attack."

"But Captain," Kin stammered, blown away by how calm he was. "Th. . . that's the attack that I hit you with before, don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember!" the Squad Ten Captain snapped, his teal eyes narrowing as he recalled the day he'd first met his new third seat. "But that only happened, as you so delicately pointed out, because I stupidly flash-stepped into the middle of a battleground."

Kin's face flushed crimson as he recalled that exchange and although she still maintained that it was his fault she didn't need him to constantly remind him that it happened.

"I assure you that it won't happen again," Hitsugaya said, a smug expression on his face. "Now attack me."

Kin sighed as she held up her sword. If it was what he really wanted then she'd oblige, although they could both end up regretting it later.

* * *

Matsumoto was sitting in the office, trying her best to force herself to do the paperwork that Captain Hitsugaya had said she had to finish, when she heard the sound of someone knocking softly on the door. Happy for any distraction, Matsumoto glanced up and called out, "Come in."

The door of the office slid open and the Acting Captain of Squad Five, Momo Hinamori, stepped inside.

"Hello Momo," Matsumoto called out as the younger woman walked toward the spot where she was sitting.

"Hello Rangiku," Hinamori said in a soft voice. "I was looking for Toushirou. Isn't he here?"

A broad smile spread across Matsumoto's face. This was perfect. Captain Hitsugaya had said that she wasn't allowed to leave the office until the paperwork had been done and with Hinamori here maybe she wouldn't have to leave in order to get the information that she desired. "The Captain's out right now. Listen Momo, I need a favor."

"Favor?" Momo repeated, her tone slightly wary. "What is it?"

Noticing the wary expression on Hinamori's face Matsumoto offered the younger woman another smile. "Trust me Momo, you'll like this mission."

"Mission?"

Matsumoto nodded. "I sent the Captain out to the training grounds, where Kin was working. I told him that there was something there that he had to see to believe, which wasn't entirely a lie. Now I want to know what's happening but I have to finish this."

Smiling slightly Hinamori shook her head. "He's not going to be happy."

"Those two are perfect for one another," Matsumoto declared. "It's just. . . that they don't know it yet."

"If you say so Rangiku," Hinamori said as she turned to leave the office. Despite the fact that she knew Hitsugaya wouldn't be happy the Acting Captain of Squad Five found herself drawn to the battlefield. She had to find out for herself exactly what was going on. Making sure to keep out of sight Hinamori went to the Squad Ten training grounds and when she arrived she saw that Hitsugaya and the young girl Kin were seated under a tree.

"Aw," Hinamori thought to herself as she gazed over at them. "They really are cute together."

Smiling softly to herself Hinamori continued on her way. She would convey to Matsumoto what she had seen and the two of them would have to see what could be done about the situation.

A/N- And thus ends yet another chapter. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	8. The Plans of Aizen

Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eight - The Plans of Aizen

Sitting on his throne in his palace in Hueco Mundo the traitorous former captain of Squad Five, Sousuke Aizen, was thinking about his plans. He still had no doubts that he would be able to defeat Soul Society however he decided that a couple of his enemies would have to go sooner rather than later.

The first was the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been training like a man possessed for the past several weeks. This boy was the closest to achieving Aizen's own goal of a perfect merger between Shinigami and Hollow and thus posed the greatest threat to his plans.

The second was the prodigious young Captain of Squad Ten. Hitsugaya had successfully breeched the security of Hueco Mundo and entered the world of the Hollow, in pursuit of Hinamori, and had fully mastered his Bankai during a battle with a former Espada. That fact, coupled together with the young prodigy's unrivaled desire to kill him, made Hitsugaya the second greatest threat to the master plan.

"Something will have to be done," Aizen said out loud, startling both Tousen and Ichimaru who were standing in front of the raised platform on which Aizen's throne was situated.

"Lord Aizen?" Tousen said, a tone of questioning in his voice.

"Ichigo and Toushirou," Aizen said in his customary calm voice. To an outsider the man would have appeared completely calm and unconcerned however his subordinates picked up on the barely perceptible tenseness that was radiating from their superior. "Those two are proving to be a real nuisance."

"Shall I go and dispatch them for you my lord?" Tousen asked, his hand going immediately to the hilt of his zanpaktou.

"That will not be necessary Kaname," Aizen replied. "I have a plan that will make Ichigo come to me. After that everything else will take care of itself."

Both Tousen and Ichimaru were confused however neither questioned the words of their leader. They knew that everything would be revealed in due time and were content to wait and see how things would turn out.

* * *

"Ugh," Ichigo moaned as the Hollow mask that had been covering his face exploded. It was at this point that the boy decided to take a break in his training. He had finally managed to grasp a minimal amount of control over his inner Hollow however maintaining the transformation was exhausting, both mentally and physically.

Shinji smirked as he gazed over at Ichigo, who was kneeling on the ground and fighting to catch his breath.

"Keep smirking," Ichigo growled, focusing a narrow-eyed gaze on his opponent. "But I swear one of these days I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face."

"Okay," Shinji said, the smirk remaining in place.

"GRRRR!" Ichigo growled, holding his hand up in front of his face and forcing the Hollow mask to reappear.

Still smirking obnoxiously Shinji raised his sword as Ichigo lunged toward him. He easily blocked the blow from Zangetsu and the expression on his face grew even more smug. "That was absolutely pathetic. Is that the best you can do?"

"NO!" Ichigo shouted, swinging his zanpaktou furiously.

"Now that's more like it," Shinji said as he was forced back by the sheer ferocity of Ichigo's attack. The boy was finally learning to fight using the combined powers of his inner Hollow and his Shinigami side. This was what they had been relentlessly training for.

* * *

"Karin!" Yuzu Kurosaki called out to her twin as she ran toward the dark haired girl. She'd been looking all over Karakura Town for her sister and was grateful that she had finally managed to track her down. Karin turned toward the sound of her sister's voice. "What is it Yuzu?"

"Dad sent me to find you," Yuzu said as she fought to catch her breath. "A bunch of patients arrived at the Clinic all at once and we need your help."

"Right," Karin said with a nod.

The two girls turned toward the Clinic that was operated by their father however they hadn't traveled more than a couple of feet before they found their path barred by a strange looking man. The guy was absolutely huge and he had some kind of broken mask covering a part of his face.

"What the. . ." Karin asked as the man just appeared in front of them as though out of nowhere.

Yuzu's eyes widened and she moved to stand beside her sister.

"Listen buddy," Karin said, her voice filled with annoyance. "We really don't have time for games right now so. . ."

The girl's words were cut short as the man held up his hand, which began to glow ominously. Realizing that this was definitely bad Karin took a couple of steps away from the man, pulling her sister along with her. "Come on Yuzu, Run!"

The two young girls turned to run away from the stranger however they were knocked off their feet by a burst of energy. Karin and Yuzu landed on the ground with a thud however both girls quickly scrambled to their feet. They knew that they had to get away from their attacker however it didn't look very good for them.

"It's pointless to run," the man said, speaking for the first time since his arrival. "You're both going to die."

This said the man held out his hand and fired yet another burst of energy however the cero was deflected before it reached it's intended target. Knocked off course the energy blast flew sideways and struck the ground, throwing up dirt in it's wake.

Yuzu and Karin glanced up to see who it was that had saved them and their gazes fell upon two people dressed in black. Now the girls knew one of the new arrivals, since she hung out with their brother all of the time, however the one with the red hair they'd never seen before. Both girls were shocked however they weren't given much time to think about the situation.

"That was foolish," the man growled, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Now you're going to die along with them. You will all four fall at the hands of Yami, the tenth Espada."

"Like you could kill both of us," Renji said with a smirk, holding the blade of his zanpaktou out in front of him. Rukia remained silent however her violet gaze was no less intense. She too held up her zanpaktou, fully prepared to fight to the death in order to protect Ichigo's two sisters.

"We have to get out of here," Karin said, grabbing her sister by the hand.

"Sorry," a calm voice called out from a short distance away. "But I'm afraid that I cannot allow any of you to leave here alive. Lord Aizen has commanded that you die and so you must die."

"Oh no," Karin groaned as her gaze shifted toward yet another new arrival. This one had dark hair, a broken mask and dark circles around his eyes. His face was expressionless and he appeared to be completely at ease with the situation. And yet despite his stoic attitude there was a tremendous and dark aura circulated around him that Karin could sense although she wasn't sure how or why.

* * *

"Do you feel that reiatsu?" Ichigo asked as he paused his sword in mid-swing.

"Ignore it," Shinji ordered, pushing the Hollow mask that he wore up on top of his head. "Focus on your training you dimwit."

"No," Ichigo said, suddenly realizing why it was that this energy so unnerved him. It felt like the powers of a thousand Hollow mixed together with the reiatsu of a Shinigami Captain but that wasn't the part that disturbed him. The disturbing part were the traces of a very familiar power that he felt mixed in with all of other stuff. "Yuzu, Karin!"

Shinji watched in open mouthed amazement as Ichigo vanished.

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter. Things are going to begin to pick up from here on out. Yay action! (I really hate fight scenes but I have resigned myself to them.) Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	9. Hueco Mundo

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Nine - Hueco Mundo

Rukia and Renji both held their zanpaktou at the ready as they stared at the two men who seemed intent upon killing Ichigo's two little sisters. Neither could understand why Aizen would want the two young girls dead however they had every intention of making sure that it didn't happen. Yuzu and Karin were both really good kids and besides that fact Ichigo would kill them if they let anything happen to his sisters.

Appearing completely unconcerned by the two Shinigami who seemed intent upon fighting him Yami held up his hand, preparing to launch yet another cero at the group, however his attack was blocked by a blow from Renji's zanpaktou.

"Howl Zabimaru!"

The snake like blade of the zanpaktou sliced through the air, knocking the cero blast off course and causing it to collide harmlessly with the ground. Yuzu screamed as she watched the attack that had been meant for her and her sister blast a huge hole in the ground however Karin merely stared at the man who seemed so intent upon killing them.

"What the hell is going on?" an angry voice called out as a fierce wind began to swirl around the group.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin cried out as her gaze fell upon the form of her older brother, who was dressed in the same strange clothes as their rescuers.

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out as the Substitute Shinigami appeared between her and Renji.

"What the hell is going on?" Ichigo demanded as he eyed the two Espada whom he recognized. This was without a doubt the same pair that he and Rukia had faced once before along with Hitsugaya.

"This bastard attacked your sisters," Renji growled as he once again raised his sword and prepared for another attack.

Ichigo saw red as Renji's words sank in. Thr Espada had disappeared on the day that he, Rukia and Toushirou had fought against them, before the battle's end, however it seemed that now they had reappeared and had a new plan of attack. The cowards had chosen to go after his sisters and for that they would suffer a horrible fate. A feral growl escaped Ichigo's lips as he pulled Zangetsu from behind his back, allowing the white ribbon that was wrapped around the blade to fan out around him. There was a malevolent glow in his eyes as he turned his attention toward Yami.

Ichigo was fully prepared to assume his Hollow form and utterly destroy the two Espada however the emotionless one stepped between them before he had the chance.

"I think that's enough," the man said in a calm and detached voice.

"But Ulquiorra," the one named Yami protested. "I can kill them all."

"You have your orders," Ulquiorra said, his voice still completely devoid of emotion.

Apparently Yami picked up on something that the others couldn't hear in the stoic Ulquiorra's voice and he backed off. It was obvious to the group of Shinigami that the smaller of the two, the one called Ulquiorra, called the shots.

"Let's go."

And as soon as those words were out of his mouth a portal appeared out of nowhere, which the two Arrancar quickly stepped through.

"Come back here you bastards!" Ichigo yelled, making a move to follow the two Espada through the portal that led to Hueco Mundo.

"What the hell are you doing?" Renji screamed as he and Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the arms and prevented him from following Yami and Ulquiorra through the portal to Hueco Mundo.

"Let me go!" Ichigo screamed as he watched the portal close. He was determined to destroy the two bastards that had dared to threaten his family and was not appreciative of the fact that his two supposed friends were keeping him from this goal.

"What the hell is your problem you idiot?" Rukia screamed as she turned on Ichigo, glaring at him with a furious look in her violet eyes. "Did you think it would be a good idea to follow them into Hueco Mundo?"

"Those bastards attacked my sisters!" Ichigo growled.

"Yea," Rukia said, glaring at him with an intense expression in her violet eyes. "And what do you think will happen to them if you go and get yourself killed?"

This question served to sober Ichigo a degree and Rukia and Renji released the vice grip that they both held on his arms. The Substitute Shinigami took a deep breath and then released it slowly. "You're right."

Rukia's jaw dropped in surprise.

"Yuzu, Karin," Ichigo called out to his little sisters. "Come on and I'll take you guys home."

Yuzu wasted no time running over to the spot where her big brother stood. Karin followed suit and soon the three Kurosaki siblings stood side by side. Once his sisters were standing by his side Ichigo turned his attention back to the two Shinigami who stood close by. "You guys should go back to your patrol."

"But Ichigo. . ." Rukia began however Renji interrupted the protest that she wanted to make. "Let's go Rukia."

For a split second Rukia looked as though she were debating kicking her childhood friend in the testicles however the thought seemed to pass and she nodded. Using their flash-step the two Shinigami simultaneously disappeared.

Ichigo escorted his two younger sisters to the clinic that their father operated, keeping a close eye out for any other unwanted visitors. And as he walked his thoughts were a blur, shifting back and forth from one course of action to another.

"Ichi-nii," Karin said, gazing up at her brother as she reached for the clinic's front door.

"You guys go inside and tell Dad what happened," Ichigo ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Dad?" Karin repeated, fully aware of the fact that her brother didn't want questions but not really caring at this point. "What exactly is Dad going to do? I'll tell you what, flip out if we tell him that we were just attacked by those weirdoes."

"He'll be more understanding than you think," Ichigo said, turning away from his sisters. "Now get inside."

Karin rolled her eyes however she and Yuzu obeyed their brother's instructions.

As soon as his sisters were safely inside the clinic, and thus under their dad's protection, Ichigo took a deep breath and then used his flash-step to travel across Karakura Town. He knew what he had to do and he knew who he needed to see in order to make it a reality.

"Hey Hat 'n Clogs!" Ichigo yelled out as he banged insistently on the door of a small shop. "I need a favor!"

"Ichigo," a calm voice said as the door of the shop slid open, revealing a man wearing a green and white striped hat. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I need to go to Hueco Mundo," Ichigo said as he stepped inside the shop. "And I know that you have a way that I can get there."

Urahara briefly debated denying that he had a portal to the world of the Hollow however he almost immediately decided that it wasn't worth the argument. "Yea I have a portal that can take you to Hueco Mundo. Now tell me why you have this sudden desire to go there?"

"That bastard Aizen had his lackies attack my sisters," Ichigo snarled, his eyes narrowing in anger as he thought about the two Arrancar that had been prepared to kill Karin and Yuzu. "And he's going to regret that decision with every fiber of his being."

"Hmm," Urahara said thoughtfully. "I can't help but think that Soul Society would frown upon this move."

"Like I care," Ichigo said. "Look I'm not asking for their permission for this and, Acting Captain or not, I know that you follow your own agenda. So cut the crap and show me how to get to Hueco Mundo."

"Alright," Urahara said, turning away from the Substitute Shinigami. "Follow me."

Ichigo nodded and followed Urahara down to the subterranean room that was located underneath his shop. Urahara led the way over to a portal, the same portal that Matsumoto and her group of Shinigami had used to travel to Hueco Mundo in pursuit of Captain Hitsugaya, and when he came to a stop he turned to face Ichigo, a serious expression in the one eye that was visible from underneath his hat.

"Are you sure you want to do this Kurosaki?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied without hesitation.

"Very well," Urahara said, walking over to the portal. Placing his hand upon the side, the Acting Captain of Squad Twelve released a large amount of reiatsu. The portal began to glow red and then it was as though a door had been opened. Instead of being able to see through the frame to the objects on the other side, they could now only see a dark abyss.

Turning away from the now open portal, Urahara once again addressed the Substitute Shinigami. "The path to Hueco Mundo wasn't meant to be traveled by Shinigami and you'll have to use your reiatsu to form a bridge and keep yourself from falling into a dark abyss from which there is no return."

"Gotcha," Ichigo said, nodding his head to show that he understood Urahara's instructions.

"Good luck Kurosaki," Urahara said as Ichigo jumped through the portal that would take him into Hueco Mundo.

"I'm coming for you Aizen," Ichigo thought to himself as he used his reiatsu to form a bridge over the abyss that Urahara had warned him about. Unfortunately he wasn't that great at controlling his reiatsu so therefore his bridge had some rather large holes. "Damn it," the orange haired Shinigami swore as he stepped into one of said holes and almost fell.

Forcing himself to concentrate harder Ichigo began his journey.

A/N - and now Ichigo has embarked upon a road from which there is no return. Will he survive his trip into Hueco Mundo or will he prove to be a casualty of war? Stay tuned to find out. Feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	10. The Beginning of the End

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach, not even the kind designed to keep your whites, white

Chapter Ten - The Beginning of the End

"Captain!" Matsumoto called out in the loudest voice that she could muster as she and Kin stepped inside the Sqaud Ten office, neither of them having bothered to knock. "You wanted to see us?"

Hitsugaya raised his teal eyes and watched as his vice-captain and third seat officer walked across the office toward the desk at which he was sitting. Their timing was really good considering the fact that he'd only summoned them ten minutes ago.

The young captain got to his feet and grabbed Hyourinmaru, quickly tying the sash that held his zanpaktou secured across his back. "Come with me. We're going out into the Rukongai to train."

"Sir?" Matsumoto said, a confused expression in her blue eyes.

"I've received permission from Head Captain Ukitake to set up a protective barrier out in District Five," Hitsugaya explained as he joined his two subordinates in the center of the office. "We'll have more room and thus be able to train harder."

"Right," Matsumoto and Kin both said, falling into step behind their captain.

The trio left the office and Hitsugaya led the way out to District Five of the Rukongai. Then, once they had arrived and he'd set up the barrier, the young captain turned on his two subordinates, drawing Hyourinmaru in one swift motion.

"So who's fighting first sir?" Kin asked, a questioning expression in her pale blue eyes.

"We all are," Hitsugaya replied calmly.

"What?" Kin exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief. Surely she'd heard wrong. "Are you out of your mind?"

Matsumoto covered hermouth with her hands to hide the smile that had appeared on her face as she gazed at the incredulous expression on her captain's face. Ah she would never grow tired of Kin's refreshing bluntness, not to mention Captain Hitsugaya's reactions to the girl's comments. Both were absolutely priceless.

"This will force us to be at our best," Hitsugaya said in his customary, no nonsense manner.

"It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye," Kin said in a sing songy voice.

Captain Hitsugaya shot her a look of displeasure and the young girl immediately sobered.

"Force us to be at our best. If you say so Captain," Kin said as she pulled her own zanpaktou from its sheath. She still thought that he was crazy but if this was what he wanted then who was she to argue.

With a shrug Matsumoto drew her own sword and in an instant the three Shinigami disappeared. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out as the three Squad Ten officers fought against one another. Despite her rant that Captain Hitsugaya was crazy Kin found that this little exercise was actually challenging. And as crazy as it was she had to admit that it was also kind of fun.

"Maybe he really does know what he's doing," Kin thought to herself as she used her zanpaktou to block the ice dragon that had been soaring toward her. "Sing to the clear, winter moon, Youkai Ookami!"

The haunting howl of the wolf echoed through the air as Kin's zanpaktou was enveloped by a white aura, changing the blade from white to silver. Kin unleashed the blizzard of snow and ice from her zanpaktou and immediately the battleground was obscurred, making it impossible for any of them to see.

"Okay," Kin thought to herself as she searched for the reiatsu of her opponants. "Obviously this attack has advantages and disadvantages. And you know it kinda sucks fighting against people who are actually smart enough to hide their reiatsu."

Honestly at this point Kin almost missed the idiots that she'd fought against back in the Academy. Those guys had practically screamed out, here I am, come kick my ass! But not her superiors. No they had to be adept at hiding themselves from detection and she'd just made it impossible to see.

"Wonderful," the young girl muttered to herself as she twirled her zanpaktou.

* * *

"Lord Aizen!" Kaname Tousen called out in a respectful voice as he made his way across the throne room of Las Noches toward the raised platform where Aizen sat upon his throne. "Ichigo Kurosaki has passed through the tunnel into Hueco Mundo and is on his way here even as we speak."

"Excellent," Aizen said in a velvety smooth voice as he got to his feet and descended down to the floor. "Kaname, Gin."

Gin Ichimaru appeared as though out of nowhere, coming to stand beside his fellow traitors.

"Take the Espada and travel to Soul Society," Aizen said, deciding that now was the perfect time to put his plan into motion. He knew that those fools from the Seireitei had placed a barrier around Soul Society that would make it slightly more difficult for his army to enter Soul Society however they could work on taking down the barrier while he took care of the Substitute Shinigami. "This is the last move that they'll be expecting. Not that they're much of a match for us anyway. I'll stay behind and deal with Ichigo."

"Right," Gin said, his mouth twisting up into a grotesque grin.

"As you will my Lord," Tousen said, inclining his head to Aizen.

* * *

"Renji," Rukia said as she gazed over at her childhood friend. The two Shinigami were standing on a rooftop that overlooked Urahara's shop and they had both witnessed Ichigo enter the domain of the Acting Captain of Squad Twelve.

"I know," Renji said, nodding his head in understanding of her unspoken words. Both of them were well aware of Ichigo's intentions. Aizen had threatened his family and now Ichigo was out for blood, now matter how foolish a move it was to go into the former Captain's territory. "We should go back to Soul Society and tell them what happened. They may want to send some troops to Hueco Mundo to help Ichigo with his battle."

Rukia nodded and the two Shinigami vanished.

* * *

"Captain!" Kin called out, stopping the battle abruptly as she felt something strange echo through the air in the Rukongai. She'd never felt anything like this before however the young girl knew without a doubt that it did not bode well. "What the hell was that? Did you feel it?"

Captain Hitsugaya felt the surge of reiatsu as well and he turned his attention to Matsumoto. "We have to evacuate the Rukongai now."

"Right," Matsumoto said with a nod.

"Kin," Hitsugaya said, turning an intense gaze toward his third seat officer. "I need for you to return to the Seireitei and inform Head Captain Ukitake that the Espada are attempting to breech the security in place around Soul Society. No doubt the traitors are with them so it's only a matter of time before they break down the defenses that Squad Twelve has put in place."

"Yes sir," Kin said. The young girl knew that a protective barrier had been put in place against Aizen and his minions however the strength of the structure had never actually been tested and apparently now they were attempting to break through. Realizing that there wasn't a moment to spare Kin sheathed her zanpaktou and then used her flash-step to disappear.

"Come on Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said, turning to his vice-captain. "We have to make sure that everyone is out of the area before they breech the barrier. We won't be able to fight them if we have to worry about all of the innocents."

Matsumoto nodded and the two Squad Ten officers parted ways.

A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter. The war is fast approaching, can the Shinigami defeat Aizen and his minions or will they fall at the hands of the Espada? Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Seriously, is anyone even remotely interested in this? Just curious. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	11. Lost Soul

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Eleven - Lost Soul

As soon as he arrived in Hueco Mundo Ichigo set his gaze upon a large building that occupied the horizon. This was Aizen's palace of Las Noches and it was where Ichigo was headed. That bastard would pay dearly for what he'd attempted to have done to his family.

"Well, well," a silky voice spoke from behind the Substitute Shinigami. "I'm shocked Ichigo. I didn't think that you'd fall for my trap so easily."

Ichigo whirled around and his gaze fell upon Aizen. The former Shinigami Captain was dressed in white and there was a cold expression in his brown eyes. "You bastard. You were going to have those guys kill my sisters." There was hatred blazing bright in Ichigo's eyes as he spat out this accusation.

"Actually that was just a way to get you here," Aizen said in a calm voice. "And now that you're here it's time for you to die."

"I don't think so," Ichigo snarled as he reached back and grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu. The Substitute Shinigami drew his zanpaktou in one fluid motion. "Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!"

Aizen watched with an almost bored expression on his face as Ichigo assumed his Bankai form. This wouldn't change the outcome of the battle, it would only increase and prolong the boy's suffering. "You should have forgotten about Soul Society," Aizen said as he faced Ichigo, not even bothering to draw the sword that he wore at his side. "Why would you fight for people who would gladly sacrifice your life for their own? It makes no sense to me."

"Idiot," Ichigo snapped as he held his right hand up in front of his face. The faces of his dad, his sisters, and Rukia flashed briefly through his mind. "I fight for those I love and no one else!"

As these words escaped the boy's lips a mask began to form in front of his face. The boy's eyes glowed an eerie yellow as he gazed at Aizen, the hatred plainly visible. "You're going to die!" he screamed out in a distorted voice as he launched himself toward Aizen.

The leader of the Espada watched calmly as Ichigo flew toward him and then, at the last possible moment, he threw out his right hand. A burst of energy flew from Aizen's palm, striking Ichigo and knocking him off balance. The teen was forced to do a back flip in mid air to prevent himself from falling to the ground in a heap. As it was he slid back several feet before he managed to pull himself to a stop. Growling low in his throat he swung the blade of Zangetsu. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Aizen laughed as he easily dodged the attack, having deemed it unworthy of a counter attack, and the sound was wholly without humor. There was a smirk on the man's face as he launched yet another kidou attack in Ichigo's direction.

Ichigo made an attempt to dodge the attack however he misjudged by a tiny degree and as a result was struck by the blast. The Substitute Shinigami sucked in his breath sharply as he felt the flesh of his right shoulder burn. The cloth of his shihakusho had been disintegrated in the spot where the kidou blast had struck and angry red blisters appeared on his flesh.

Pushing the pain of the wound to the farthest reaches of his mind Ichigo focused his full attention on his opponent. He was determined to end this no matter the cost. Aizen had threatened his family and Ichigo knew that he could not allow the man to live.

* * *

"Head Captain Ukitake!" Kin called out as she barged into the Squad One office. Now under normal circumstances she would have at least knocked on the door to announce her arrival however the message that she had to relay simply could not wait.

Ukitake instantly picked up on the slightly panicked expression in the young girl's pale blue eyes. "What is it Kin?"

"Captain Hitsugaya sent me to tell you that the Espada are attempting to breech the protective barrier around Soul Society," Kin relayed at a breathless pace. "Out in District Five of the Rukongai. He and Vice-captain Matsumoto are working to evacuate the area as we speak."

Ukitake was immediately on his feet, a concerned expression in his kind eyes. "We have to gather the other Squads and get out to the Rukongai before the barrier is breeched."

Kin nodded her head in understanding.

"You should go back to District Five and meet up with Captain Hitsugaya," Ukitake told the young girl. "Tell him that reinforcements are on the way."

"Yes sir," Kin said, quickly turning to leave the office. As she made her way toward the door she was practically ran over by a couple of Shinigami who were attempting to enter the office at the same time that she was attempting to leave it.

"Sorry," Rukia said as she came to a sudden stop a split second before running into the young girl.

"S'okay," Kin mumbled as she dodged around the two new arrivals and left the office.

Once the girl had disappeared around a corner Rukia and Renji made their way across the office over to the spot where Head Captain Ukitake stood. "What's happened?" Ukitake asked as Renji and Rukia came to a stop in front of him. Whatever it was he knew that it had to be bad to make them leave their post in the world of the living.

"Ichigo's sisters were attacked by a couple of Espada," Rukia explained, forcing her concern for Ichigo to the back of her mind. "So of course Mr. Hothead had to travel to Hueco Mundo in pursuit of Aizen. We were hoping that maybe we could take some reinforcements and go after him."

"Damn," Ukitake muttered, placing a hand to the side of his head. This news couldn't have come at a worse time. "I'd love to send someone to help the Substitute Shinigami but the Espada are attempting to breech the barrier over District Five as we speak. They're on the attack."

"I'm on it sir," Renji said, immediately turning to leave the office. Rukia hesitated for a brief moment, her thoughts focused squarely on Ichigo, but then she too made a move to leave the office. If Soul Society was under attack then it was her duty to defend it, no matter how loudly her heart was screaming for her to go to Hueco Mundo and help Ichigo.

"Please be okay," she whispered as she dashed toward the gate that separated the Seireitei from the Rukongai.

* * *

"Captain Hitsugaya," Kin called out as she appeared at his side. "I delivered the message to Head Captain Ukitake as ordered and he said that reinforcements are on the way."

Hitsugaya nodded, pleased that she had relayed the news so quickly. "I think you should go back to the Seireitei with the refugees from District Five. . ."

"Like hell I will," Kin burst out angrily. She knew that Captain Hitsugaya was just thinking of her safety but his words angered her none the less. It was true that she was new to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads but that didn't mean that she was incapable of battle. "I've been training for this and I refuse to abandon my friends and colleagues. I'm going to fight."

Hitsugaya stared into the girl's ice blue eyes and saw the determination within. He nodded his head respectfully. "We should prepare. It's only a matter of time before they breech the barrier."

Kin nodded and turned to walk away.

Hitsugaya's gaze remained focused on Kin as she walked away from him and the young captain slowly pulled a small box from the folds of his shihakusho. "Kin," he called out in an uncertain voice.

"Captain?" Kin said as she turned back to face him.

"Matsumoto told me that your birthday is today," Hitsugaya said gruffly, hiding the small box from her questioning gaze.

"Yea," Kin said quietly. "But it's no big deal."

Hitsugaya walked over to the spot where Kin was standing. "Here," he said, holding out the small box.

Kin's eyes widened in surprise as she accepted the small box that he held out to her. "Um thank you," she said in a quiet voice.

Hitsugaya merely shrugged and walked away.

Kin unwrapped the tiny box and pulled off the lid, revealing a small pendant in the shape of a snowflake nestled on a bed of light blue satin. Kin gasped as she gazed down at the snowflake, which looked as though it were made of real ice. The girl knew that only a powerful kidou could have created this and she was shocked that Captain Hitsugaya had actually made her a gift for her birthday. With a trembling hand she gently lifted the pendant and secured it around her neck.

A soft smile on her face Kin walked over to the spot where Hitsugaya was standing underneath a tree. His eyes were closed and he looked as though he were meditating however his eyes snapped open as Kin threw her arms around him.

"Thank you so much," she said in a quiet voice. "It's gorgeous."

"It's no big deal," Hitsugaya said gruffly.

"Ohhh!" a voice suddenly exploded out of the silence. "How adorable!"

Both Kin and Hitsugaya jumped in surprise, quickly distancing themselves from one another.

Matsumoto couldn't help but laugh at the blushes that colored both of their faces. The two of them really did make the most adorable couple and she knew that her captain saw a little bit of himself in the young girl, who was also a prodigy and somewhat of a loner because of this fact. Captain Hitsugaya understood the girl and that was another reason why Matsumoto thought that they were made for each other. And the fact that Hitsugaya had actually made her a birthday gift gave Matsumoto hope for their future. A broad smile spread across her face as she gazed back and forth between Kin and Captain Hitsugaya.

"They're coming," Hitsugaya said suddenly, his voice calm despite the dire situation. The group instantly sobered, awaiting the arrival of the Espada.

* * *

Aizen was proving to be more than a match for Ichigo and the Substitute Shinigami growled in frustration as the Hollow mast that covered his face exploded in a spray of white. The fight had dragged on for too long and now Ichigo has lost the ability to use his Hollow form.

"Black coffin," Aizen said in a maddeningly calm tone of voice, watching as Ichigo was enveloped by the powerful kidou. Unlike the last time he'd used the kidou, on Captain Komamura back in the Seireitei, the kidou actually worked the way it was supposed to this time around and Aizen watched in satisfaction as Ichigo completely disappeared, enveloped by the darkness.

Within moments the black box containing Ichigo exploded and the young man dropped to the ground, not even making an attempt to break his fall. Covered in blood and still clutching Zangetsu in his hand, Ichigo hit the ground with a thud and did not move.

Aizen slowly walked over to the spot where his defeated opponent was lying and stared down into his partially open eyes. The boy was still technically alive although he was hanging on by the tiniest of threads and Aizen decided in that moment that the battle was over. The orange haired Substitute Shinigami had only minutes to live and simply wasn't worth the final blow. He would be dead soon enough.

"And now I'm off to Soul Society," Aizen said in his velvety smooth voice. "Before the day is over I will stand in Heaven."

And with those words Aizen vanished.

TBC. . .

A/N- cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	12. King and Horse No More

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Twelve - King and Horse No More

Head Captain Ukitake, accompanied by countless members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, arrived in District Five of the Rukongai just as the Espada finally managed to breech the barrier that Squad Twelve had placed around Soul Society.

The two traitor captains, Ichimaru and Tousen, were the first to appear in the clearing of District Five and they were immediately engaged in battle by their respective former vice-captains. A couple of other Shinigami made a move to help Kira and Hisagi however Ukitake held up his hand, instantly halting their progress. "Leave them be. This is a battle of honor and they would not want your interference."

The Shinigami all nodded but the Head Captain could tell that it was with the utmost reluctance. He understood that they wanted to help their friends however both Kira and Hisagi had been betrayed by teh captains that they had respected and they deserved the chance to regain their honor. No matter how much they may want to none of them had the right to interfere with the fight.

Ukitake's musings were interrupted however by the arrival of an Arrancar. The man's face was devoid of emotion but his reiatsu spoke volumes as to his power level. The Head Captain rushed forward, releasing the powers of his zanpaktou, and he was quickly followed by Captain Kyouraku. The two Shinigami held up their dual blades as they faced Ulquiorra, who didn't seem even remotely concerned about the fact that he had two opponents.

"Looks like you guys could use some help," a voice suddenly called out.

Hitsugaya's eyes left the battlefield as soon as he heard the voice and his gaze fell upon Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin. The young captain was glad for the reinforcements however his attention shifted to a new arrival, a blue haired Espada.

The Captain of Squad Ten jumped forward, followed almost immediately by his vice-captain. Both Shinigami pulled out their zanpaktou at practically the same instant.

Barely ten minutes lapsed before all of the assembled Shinigami were engaged in battle. Most had never fought against an Arrancar and only a hand full had ever fought against the Espada. Needless to say no one was having an easy time.

"Where the hell is that son of mine?" Isshin Kurosaki asked as he clashed swords with Tousen.

"More than likely dead," Tousen said in a cold voice as he blocked a furious blow from the former Captain of Squad Six. "He traveled to Hueco Mundo and Lord Aizen remained behind to deal with him. The battle should be over by now."

Angered by the words of the former Captain of Squad Nine, and concerned for the safety of his son, Isshin narrowed his eyes and snarled, "Bankai!"

"You can't hope to defeat me," Ulquiorra said in a calm voice as he fought the two Shinigami captains.

"We've heard that before," Kyouraku said, his mind calling up images of the so called impossible battle with the former Head Captain Yamamoto.

"We will defeat you," Ukitake vowed, his voice solemn and his gaze determined.

Grimmjow laughed as he faced off against a Shinigami child and a woman. "This should be amusing," the Espada laughed as he drew his sword.

"You can think that if you want," Hitsugaya said in a low voice as he held up Hyourinmaru, the tip of his zanpaktou pointed toward the sky. "Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Grimmjow watched as ice erupted from he hilt of the kid's sword, completely engulfing his right arm. At the same time huge wings comprised of ice sprouted from the boy's back. "Excellent," the Espada said as he felt Hitsugaya's powers surge. "Maybe this won't be as boring as previously anticipated."

"Enjoy yourself while you can," Hitsugaya growled.

* * *

After leaving the defeated Substitute Shinigami behind in Hueco Mundo Aizen traveled to Soul Society. He could feel the battles raging, even through the barrier that had been erected around Soul Society, and Aizen decided to enter Soul Society in a different location from all of the others.

The former Captain of Squad Five blasted through the barrier with one shot and entered District Ten of the Rukongai. "Now," the man said in a calm voice, gazing around and surveying his surroundings. "To see who shows up first."

* * *

Acting Captain of Squad Five Momo Hinamori was fighting with a group of Arrancar, with the assistance of Rukia, but she paused and gasped in surprise as she felt a familiar reiatsu appear suddenly in the Rukongai. Fighting like a woman possessed Hinamori quickly tore through the remaining enemies and then, without thinking of any possible consequences, she used her flash-step and disappeared. All she knew was that her traitorous captain was once again in Soul Society and she now had a chance to confront him.

Rukia had also felt Aizen's reiatsu and as she watched Hinamori vanish she knew exactly where the other woman was going. Shaking her head Rukia decided that she would have to go after Hinamori. She didn't stand a chance against Aizen on her own, not that Rukia really thought that her own presence would help matters any.

Captain Hitsugaya felt the surge of reiatsu that signaled the arrival of Aizen and he saw Hinamori and Rukia use their flash-step to disappear. "Oh no," he groaned as he blocked a blow from Grimmjow. There was a torn expression in Hitsugaya's teal eyes as he debated what he should do. On the one hand Hitsugaya wanted to go after Hinamori and keep her from getting killed but on the other hand he and Matsumoto were in the middle of a battle with one of the Espada.

"Go after them sir," Matsumoto called out as she rushed toward Grimmjow, effectively taking over the battle. "I can handle this."

Hitsugaya hesitated.

"Go," Matsumoto said, holding out her zanpaktou. "Bankai."

It was in that moment that Hitsugaya made his decision. With one final look at his vice-captain he used his flash-step and disappeared. His vice-captain had succeeded in achieving Bankai and Hitsugaya knew that she would be able to hold her own even against the Espada.

* * *

"You have GOT to be kidding me!" an oddly familiar voice exclaimed in an angry voice, bringing Ichigo out of the darkness that had enveloped him. The Substitute Shinigami opened his eyes and saw that his inner Hollow was standing over him, an angry expression in his eyes.

Ichigo struggled to his feet and took several steps back away from the Hollow. "What's your problem?" he demanded.

An incredulous look appeared on the Hollow's face, as though he couldn't believe the words that he'd just heard. "You're my problem you stupid bastard! Are you just going to lay there and die after everything we've endured?"

At first Ichigo was confused by the words of his inner Hollow but then his thoughts flashed back to the kidou that Aizen had used. He'd experienced a brief moment of excruciating pain before everything had gone dark. "I'm dying?"

"Ye-ah," the Hollow said in disgust. "And me along with you, you idiot. Some king you are."

"Hey," Ichigo snapped, irritated by the Hollow's accusations. He was making it sound as though Ichigo had lost the fight with Aizen on purpose and he didn't like it. "If you'd just been less of an asshole about lending me your powers then this wouldn't have happened."

There was a hard look in the Hollow's eyes as he stared at Ichigo as though he were looking through him. "Do you truly want to master the powers of a Hollow?"

Caught completely off guard by the question all Ichigo could do was nod his head.

"Then you and I have to join forces," the Hollow muttered angrily.

"That's what I kept trying to do you prick," Ichigo burst out, his eyes narrowing. "And you refused to cooperate."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," the Hollow growled. "This is a soul merger you idiot."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, not sure he really liked the direction that this conversation was going in.

"Listen I'm not thrilled about the prospect of joining souls with you either," the Hollow snapped, his eyes narrowed as he gazed over at Ichigo. "But it we don't combine our powers then you're going to die, which means that I'm going to die with you. The soul merger is the only way to avoid that."

"Will I still be me if I merge my soul with yours?" Ichigo asked, concerned by the prospect of joining his soul with his inner Hollow. What if he became the very things that he'd been fighting against?

"Maybe," the Hollow replied with a smirk. "It all depends on the strength of your soul. But if you don't go through with it then you're going to die here. Are you okay with that?"

Ichigo's mind flashed to his family and then an image of Rukia appeared in his mind's eye. He recalled the parting words that Aizen had spoken to him and he knew what he had to do. He had to do whatever it took to protect those that he loved.

A/N- and thus ends yet another chapter. Hope you enjoyed, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. I apologize for the fight scenes, or lack thereof. til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	13. Confrontation

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirteen - Confrontation

When Hinamori arrived at the clearing in District Ten her eyes widened as her gaze fell upon her former Captain, Sousuke Aizen. She'd known, from the first moment that she sensed the immensely strong reiatsu entering Soul Society, who she would find however that didn't stop the feelings of shock that bombarded her as her gaze fell upon him for the first time since the day he'd attempted to kill her.

"Hello Momo," Aizen said in his velvety smooth voice, his cold gaze falling upon his former vice-captain. There wasn't even a trace of emotion for the woman who had served him faithfully for so many years.

Without thinking of the danger that she was putting herself into Hinamori made a move to step toward her former captain, the man she'd idolized since her Academy days, however luckily Rukia appeared and grabbed her by the arm. She knew what Hinamori was thinking and wanted to prevent her from getting herself killed.

"And Rukia," Aizen said, his gaze shifting from Hinamori to Rukia. "I must admit that I wasn't expecting you but am none the less happy that you're here. Now I can give you some important news that I was sure no one else in Soul Society would be interested in. The Substitute Shinigami is dead."

Rukia narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the traitor, the man who had conspired to have her executed so that he could steal Hogyouku, which Urahara had hidden inside her gigai. However as Aizen's words sank in Rukia felt as though her world had shattered into a thousand pieces. Ichigo dead. . . but it simply wasn't possible. There was just no way that he could be dead. She refused to believe it.

"You're lying," she snarled, glaring at the former Captain of Squad Five.

"I have no reason to lie," Aizen said calmly as he continued to gaze over at the two young women. Deciding that there had been enough talk Aizen drew his sword, fully intending to rid himself of the two meddling women, however before he could go any further the trio felt an icy wind begin to swirl around them. Mere seconds passed and then Captain Hitsugaya appeared a few feet away from the spot where Aizen stood.

_"_Well Toushirou it seems you made it in time to save your friends but tell me, who did you abandon so that you could come after them?" There was a cold expression in Aizen's brown eyes as he asked the young captain this question.

Matsumoto's face briefly flashed before his eyes before he banished the thought. His vice-captain could take care of herself and he needed to focus all of his attention on Aizen. He was determined that things would be different than the last time he'd fought the former Captain of Squad Five. "Aizen, this time I swear you're going to die."

"Didn't I warn you before about such threats?" Aizen asked, looking completely unconcerned by the boy's threat. "They make you sound weak."

In answer to the taunt from Aizen Hitsugaya drew Hyourinmaru from the sheath that he wore secured across his back and held the sword out in front of him. The icy wind that had been blowing increased in ferocity as Hitsugaya pointed the tip of his sword toward the heavens.

"Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Aizen watched calmly as ice erupted from the hilt of Hitsugaya's sword and completely engulfed the young prodigy's right arm. This transformation was very familiar to him although Aizen hadn't seen it since Hitsugaya completely mastered his Bankai and lost the ice flowers that had, until recently, accompanied the young boy's Bankai release.

"Shirou-chan," Hinamori whispered, her gaze solidly fixed on the small form of her best friend. She knew without a doubt that he was only here because of her and she felt slightly guilty that Hitsugaya was now facing nearly impossible odds.

Hitsugaya was well aware of the odds that he faced as he squared off against Aizen however hatred was evident in his teal eyes as he faced the man who had betrayed so many, including Hinamori who had practically worshipped him. This betrayal wasn't something that Hitsugaya was willing to forgive the man for and he held the tip of his sword up toward the heavens. "Reign over the frosted, frozen sky, Hyourinmaru!"

The huge dragon comprised of water and ice flew from the tip of Hitsugaya's zanpaktou and soared toward Aizen. The former Captain of Squad Five used his own blade to deflect the attack however he was forced to take a step back or risk being knocked off balance. Seeing an opportunity Hitsugaya leapt into the air, using his wings to propel himself, and then dived toward the ground, sinking the tip of his blade into the ground. Ice erupted from the ground, beginning at the sight where Hyourinmaru's tip was buried in the earth, and Aizen had to work hard to dodge the multitude of ice shards that flew toward him.

"Well done Toushirou," Aizen said in a smug voice as he and the young Captain of Squad Ten briefly paused their battle. "It seems that you've improved since last we fought."

Angered by the patronizing tone of Aizen's voice Hitsugaya gripped the hilt of Hyourinmaru with both hands and swung the sword in an arc in front of him. Shards of ice flew from the tip of the zanpaktou and headed straight for Aizen. Aizen used his own blade to deflect the majority of the ice shards although a few did managed to make contact with his flesh. Angered by this the leader of the Espada used his flash-step to cover the ground that separated him and Hitsugaya and when he reached the spot where the young prodigy stood he swung his sword fiercely.

Hitsugaya barely managed to raise Hyourinmaru in time to block the blow however block he did and then the young prodigy launched an attack of his own.

Rukia watched in wide eyed amazement as Captain Hitsugaya clashed swords with the former Captain of Squad Five and she was amazed that the young prodigy was actually managing to hold his own against the super powerful Aizen.

Aizen himself was also mildly surprised at the degree of improvement Hitsugaya had achieved since the last time he'd fought the young captain. An evil glint appeared in his cold brown eyes as he jumped back away from the boy and focused his gaze on the two women who were standing together a few feet away. He knew an easy way to take care of this nuisance once and for all.

Hitsugaya followed Aizen's gaze and he knew immediately what the man had in mind as Aizen held out his zanpaktou. He was planning to send an attack toward Hinamori and Rukia and Hitsugaya knew that he couldn't allow that to happen. The young captain made a move toward Aizen however the man swung his sword. Knowing that he had only one chance Hitsugaya launched himself toward the two women with a mighty flap of his giant ice wings.

"Shirou-chan!" Hinamori cried out as she watched her best friend flying toward them.

Hitsugaya managed to get between the two women and the attack that was intended for them however there wasn't much else that he could do.

"Barrier!" Rukia yelled, her mind suddenly snapping back into action. She could feel the strength of the attack that Aizen had launched at them and knew without a doubt that there was no way that Captain Hitsugaya could survive a direct hit. A barrier was the only chance that the young captain had but it would only be strong enough if she and Hinamori worked together.

The same thoughts running through her mind Hinamori nodded and the two women threw up their hands and summoned a powerful kidou barrier at the last possible second.

Despite the aid of the kidou barrier that Rukia and Hinamori had summoned Hitsugaya was struck in the back by the attack from Aizen and his wings exploded in a spray of ice and blood. Without so much as a cry of pain the young captain fell limply into Hinamori's arms. Sinking to the ground Hinamori cradled her injured friend in her arms and gazed down into his partially open teal eyes. There were tears in her own, chocolate colored eyes as her gaze took in the severity of his injuries and she knew that this was all her fault. "Oh Shirou-chan," she whispered as she ran a hand through his white hair. "I am so sorry."

Aizen smirked as he gazed over at the injured Hitsugaya, who was now being held in the arms of Hinamori. So the boy had managed to save the two women however now he was injured and they were all open to a second attack. Everything had unfolded just as he knew it would. Aizen once again raised his sword.

Seeing the movement and realizing what it meant Rukia quickly drew her own sword. She didn't know how much of a chance she stood against Aizen however she knew that being defeated in battle was far better than simply allowing herself to be killed.

"So you intend to fight do you?" Aizen said in a calm voice.

Rukia nodded, a determined expression in her violet eyes.

"Very well," Aizen said, his cold eyes focused on the young Shinigami girl. "I applaud your bravery but it changes nothing."

"Maybe not," Rukia said, as she held up her sword. "But I refuse to die without a fight."

TBC. . .

A/N - poor shirou-chan. Things didn't go so well for him in this chapter and now Rukia wants to fight Aizen. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	14. Settle the Score

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Fourteen - Settle the Score

As Ichigo got to his feet he could feel the immense powers that were coursing through his veins. This wasn't like when he'd first became a Shinigami. . . this was ultimate power. Ichigo concentrated his thoughts for a few moments and found that he could no longer hear the voice of his inner Hollow. The two of them truly had merged souls to become one being. Hopefully this would be for the best but Ichigo didn't have time to think about that right now.

A look of determination filled Ichigo's eyes as he gazed off at the horizon. Rukia was in danger, along with all of Soul Society. He had to get there in time to save them. Countless lives depended upon it.

Without really understanding what he was doing, or for that matter how it was that he had the knowledge to do it, Ichigo summoned a portal. "I really hope this leads to Soul Society," the orange haired Vizard commented dryly as he stepped through the portal.

* * *

"What's happening?" Hitsugaya asked in a weak voice as he struggled to open his eyes. Upon regaining consciousness the young captain could feel the rising reiatsu of Rukia and he desperately wanted to know what was happening.

"Rukia's going to fight with Aizen," Hinamori replied in a horrified tone of voice, her gaze locked firmly on the two combatants.

"That's suicide!" Hitsugaya exclaimed as he struggled to get up. A flash of pain shot through the young captain's small body as his injuries protested the movement but Hitsugaya pushed the pain to the back of his mind. Rukia didn't stand a chance against Aizen.

"Shirou-chan," Hinamori said as she wrapped her arms around him, preventing the young captain from rising.

"Let go," Hitsugaya ordered in an irritated tone of voice.

"No," Hinamori said flatly, gazing down at him with determination in her chocolate colored eyes. "Your injuries are so severe that you can hardly move. You can't fight Aizen in this condition."

Hitsugaya opened his mouth to further argue with his best friend however his words faltered as he heard Rukia call out, "Bankai!"

The young captain's gaze shifted to the battleground and he saw something white erupt from the tip of Rukia's zanpaktou and soar up into the air. As the shape unfolded it turned out to be a huge bird. It greatly resembled a phoenix except for the fact that it was snow white.

"Wow," Hinamori gasped as she too gazed at the bird. "It's like the anti-phoenix. I didn't even realize that Rukia had achieved Bankai."

"Rukia!"

All eyes turned at the sound of this voice and their stunned gazes fell upon the last person that any of them had expected to see, the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed in shock, her voice filled with happiness. Her Bankai disappeared as she smiled at Ichigo, relieved beyond description to see him alive and relatively well. "I knew he was lying. I knew that you couldn't be dead. You're just to stubborn to die."

Ichigo's gaze went briefly to Rukia and she could see the fire in his eyes as he grasped the hilt of Zangetsu. The white cloth that was wrapped around the blade unwound of it's own accord and swirled around Ichigo, lifted and blown around by the fierce wind that was produced by the teen's reiatsu.

"Bankai," Ichigo snarled, holding Zangetsu out in front of him.

"Such power," Hinamori whispered in awe, gazing over at the spot where Ichigo stood, facing Aizen with a steely look in his eyes.

Ichigo held his left hand up to his face and a Hollow mask appeared over it almost instantaneously. Without so much as a word to his opponent Ichigo launched himself forward, his sword held up at the ready.

Rukia stared at Ichigo as he engaged Aizen in battle and it was immediately obvious to her that there was something different about this transformation. It was true that she'd only seen Ichigo's Hollow transformation a couple of times but this time it was definitely different.

"I see," Aizen said as he fought to block the furious blows from Ichigo's zanpaktou. "You've done it. You've achieved a perfect merger between Shinigami and Hollow."

Rukia gasped as she heard Aizen's words. Was that true? Had Ichigo indeed achieved the very thing that Aizen himself had sought after?

Ichigo neither agreed nor disagreed with Aizen's statements. It was as though he were determined to win this fight without uttering so much as a word to the former Squad Five Captain.

Both Hitsugaya and Hinamori stared in amazement as Ichigo fought against Aizen. They had already known that the Substitute Shinigami was powerful, he'd proven that when he'd fought and defeated two of the most powerful Captain in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but this was just unreal. Not only was he holding his own against Aizen but he was actually forcing the man to go on the defensive.

"He just may be able to pull this off," Hitsugaya thought to himself, his teal eyes focused on Ichigo and Aizen. As much as the Substitute Shinigami annoyed him he was definitely routing for Ichigo in this fight. Attempting to raise his battered body enough to better see the fight Hitsugaya gasped as a wave of excruciating pain shot through his body.

"Toushirou," Hinamori said, wrapping her arms around him even tighter and glaring down at him through narrowed eyes. "I swear if you move again then I'm going to knock you unconscious myself."

Hitsugaya started to remind her that this course of action would be a mistake since he outranked her however then he realized that she wouldn't care so he didn't bother. It would just be a waste of breath.

"Come on Ichigo," Rukia silently cheered, her violet gaze locked onto Ichigo. "You can do it, I know you can."

And right on cue, as though empowered by Rukia's internal cheerleading session, Ichigo swung his zanpaktou and unleashed a huge attack. The attack was a mixture of black and red lights and almost looked like a combination of Getsuga Tenshou and a cero blast.

"So they really are. . ." Rukia thought to herself.

Aizen made a move to block the attack, forming a barrier around himself, however Ichigo's attack went completely through the defense. The leader of the Espada staggered back as he was struck by the attack and his cold brown eyes narrowed in anger as he glared over at the Substitute Shinigami.

"Come on, come on," Rukia whispered, her hands clenched into fists as she watched the fight.

Aizen raised his own sword and launched an attack of his own but it was as though Ichigo could read his thoughts. Ichigo effortlessly blocked the attack and then swung Zangetsu.

"He doesn't have to say the name of the attack or call out to his zanpaktou," Hinamori said in a quiet voice.

"I know," Hitsugaya said, his voice seeming to grow weaker with each word that he spoke. "Kurosaki's going to win this battle."

Hinamori's eyes widened. Was her best friend correct? Could Ichigo really defeat Aizen? "Do you really think so Toushirou?"

Expecting an irritated response from the boy, due to the fact that she'd chosen to use her best friend's first name, Hinamori immediately became concerned when he didn't say anything. "Toushirou?" She gazed down at her friend and saw that his eyes were closed. "Toushirou. . ."

Rukia heard Hinamori calling out to Captain Hitsugaya and she tore her eyes away from the battlefield and shifted her gaze over to the spot where Hinamori knelt with Hitsugaya cradled in her arms. It appeared that the young captain had once again lost consciousness. The young prodigy needed medical treatment and he needed it as soon as possible.

"Hurry up Ichigo," Rukia silently urged. She didn't want to leave Ichigo, just in case he needed her help, but Captain Hitsugaya needed the aid of Squad Four.

Aizen launched his most powerful kidou, Black Coffin, at Ichigo however the boy easily dodged the attack that had almost killed him less than two hours ago.

"Enough," Ichigo snarled in the distorted voice that marked his Hollow form. Swinging his zanpaktou furiously Ichigo launched a more powerful version of his earlier attack. Aizen once again threw up a barrier, more powerful than the last one, and managed to block the attack.

Not even slightly discouraged by this turn of events Ichigo sent three more blasts toward Aizen in rapid succession. The barrier around Aizen exploded after the second impact and the third and fourth blows both struck the former captain full force.

Aizen fell to the ground and did not move again.

"Ichigo!" Rukia exclaimed as she ran toward him.

The Hollow mask that covered Ichigo's face exploded as he turned his gaze toward Rukia. He could see the relief plainly visible in her violet eyes and offered her a sheepish grin as she threw her arms around him.

"You did it!" Rukia said, her words slightly muffled due to the fact that she had her face buried in his chest.

Ichigo nodded, his gaze shifting over to the spot where Hinamori knelt, clutching a bloody Hitsugaya in her arms. "What happened to Toushirou? Was that Aizen's doing?"

Rukia nodded, gazing over at Captain Hitsugaya. "Aizen launched a blast at me and Momo but Captain Hitsugaya jumped in front of it right before it struck us. He saved both our lives."

Ichigo nodded and walked over to the spot where Hinamori and Hitsugaya were. Ichigo knelt down and, even though he was seriously injured himself, he picked the young captain up into his arms. "We should get back to the Seireitei," Ichigo said as he got to his feet.

Rukia nodded and, once she'd helped a shaky Hinamori to her feet, the group of exhausted combatants slowly made their way through the Rukongai to District One, where the others had fought against the other two traitor captains and the Espada. When they arrived they found that the battles were all over and it appeared that the Shinigami had emerged victorious although there had been casualties and no one appeared to have escaped unharmed.

The group was quickly surrounded by members of Squad Four, led by their vice-captain Isane Kotetsu, and after surveying their condition she led the quartet over to a medical tent that had been set up close to the battlegrounds.

"I can't believe it's over," Rukia thought to herself as she and her companions entered the medical tent. There was such a feeling of relief and yet at the same time Rukia was concerned about her friends. Both Ichigo and Hitsugaya were seriously injured. "They'll be okay," she told herself as she lay down on one of the cots that had been placed inside the tent. "They're both too stubborn to die."

TBC. . .

A/N- And the war's over. Yay Ichigo, he's the man. I really hate fight scenes, especially for those people who you never see fight. It's really hard to work with this which is why the fight between Ichigo and Aizen isn't better. Sorry about that. This fic is almost over, one or two chapters left. Hope you enjoyed this installment, feel free to review and let me know. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


	15. War Ends, Life Continues

Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Fifteen - War Ends, Life Continues

"I'm telling you people for the last time, I'm fine and I don't need to be here anymore!"

"And I'm telling you that it's only been a day and a half and your injuries still haven't fully healed yet!"

Captain Hitsugaya returned to consciousness amid shouts and arguing and he desperately wanted to believe that it was all just a bad dream. Forcing his eyes open, not an easy feat seeing as his eyelids felt as though they were being held closed by weights, the young captain silently begged, _"Please tell me that I'm hallucinating this."_

Sitting up slightly, propped up by his elbow, Hitsugaya gazed over at the occupant of the bed beside his and instantly groaned under his breath. It hadn't been a hallucination, he was indeed sharing a room with Kurosaki. Who the hell had thought that was a good idea?

"I told you I'm fi. . ." Ichigo's voice trailed off as he noticed that Hitsugaya was awake and staring at him. "Oi, look who decided to rejoin the world of the living, no pun intended of course." He offered the white-haired prodigy a smile. "Welcome back Toushirou."

"Captain Hitsugaya," the boy growled. "And can't you keep the volume down a little bit Kurosaki? You are in a hospital you know."

"It would be quiet if they'd just let me leave," Ichigo countered, glaring over at the two women who were standing at the foot of his bed.

Hitsugaya followed Ichigo's gaze and saw that Rukia and Isane were gazing at the Substitute Shinigami with identical irritated expressions on their faces.

"You're seriously injured," Rukia snapped, glaring at Ichigo through narrowed eyes. "And you need to stay in bed. And I swear to you if you try to get up again then I'm going to break your legs."

_"Harsh,"_ Hitsugaya thought to himself as his gaze shifted to the small, black-haired girl. Judging by the look in her violet eyes she was one hundred percent serious about her threat. _"Come on Kurosaki, test the theory. I want to see if she'll really do it."_

* * *

Having just been released from the care of Squad Four Kin was walking slowly down a corridor, unsure about what she should do now. She really wanted to visit her captain but wasn't sure whether it was a good idea or not. The feelings that she felt concerning Captain Hitsugaya were confusing at best and she didn't know how to react to them. _"I don't know what to do."_

"Kin-chan!"

The young girl froze in her tracks as she was seized from behind. Kin couldn't see her captor however she knew exactly who it was. There was simply no mistaking an embrace from the busty vice-captain of Squad Ten. "Hello Matsumoto-san," she said quietly.

Releasing her hold on the girl Matsumoto actually pouted. "How did you know it was me?"

"Oh gee, I wonder," Kin said, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.

"So are you going to visit Captain Hitsugaya?" Matsumoto asked as the two of them continued walking down the corridor.

"No. . . um I was. . . um. . ." Kin stammered, a blush rising to color her cheeks.

"Come on," Matsumoto said, seizing the young girl by the hand. "He'll be happy to see you."

_"Yeah right,"_ Kin thought to herself as she fingered the snowflake pendant that Hitsugaya had given to her.

Matsumoto pulled the girl down the corridor to the room that Captain Hitsugaya shared with Ichigo Kurosaki. Since the two of them were the most seriously injured it had just been easier for Squad Four to put the two of them together but Matsumoto knew her captain wouldn't be happy about it. Hopefully seeing Kin would serve to cheer him up. That was the theory at any rate, it remained to be seen whether it would actually work.

"I swear one of these days I'm going to kill you," Hitsugaya growled from inside the room.

"Well that sounds promising," Kin muttered as she and Matsumoto came to a stop in front of the closed door.

"Yea, the captain has a love-hate relationship with Ichigo," Matsumoto said with a smile. "They love to hate each other."

Kin smiled despite herself.

Matsumoto knocked lightly on the door, to announce their arrival, and then she slid the door open and dragged a reluctant Kin into the room. Captain Hitsugaya's gaze shifted to the door and he watched as Matsumoto pulled Kin into the room. The young girl seemed somewhat reluctant to enter the room and Hitsugaya vaguely wondered if Matsumoto had forced her to visit.

Kin felt awkward however this feeling immediately vanished as her gaze fell upon a bruised and bandaged Hitsugaya. Pulling her hand free from Matsumoto's grip she walked over to her captain's bedside and glared down at him, a look of anger in her ice blue eyes. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed."

Completely shocked by the outburst all Hitsugaya could do was stare up at Kin, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Aww," Rukia said, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room. "They make such a cute couple!"

Both Hitsugaya and Kin blushed.

_"I have got to get out of here,"_ Hitsugaya thought to himself. If he spent much more time with these people then his sanity would suffer.

* * *

A few more days passed and then Captain Unohana finally agreed to discharge her two most reluctant patients. Needless to say this news thrilled both Hitsugaya and Ichigo beyond description. Both were thoroughly tired of each other and were more than ready for their incarceration to come to an end. Hitsugaya considered it a small miracle that the two of them hadn't killed each other and Ichigo shared that sentiment whole heartedly.

"Oh Captain Hitsugaya," Unohana said as the young captain pulled on his haori and prepared to leave Squad Four.

"Yes?" Hitsugaya said, turning his teal gaze to the Squad Four Captain.

"Head Captain Ukitake asked me to inform you that there's going to be a meeting for all captains, acting captains, and vice-captains this evening," Captain Unohana told him in her customary quiet voice.

"Right," Hitsugaya said. "I'll be there."

Captain Unohana nodded and then watched as the small, white-haired captain turned and left the small room in Squad Four.

As Hitsugaya made his way slowly toward the Squad Ten barracks he thought about the meeting that Captain Unohana had told him about. It was almost unheard of for the captains and vice-captains to have meetings together however Hitsugaya was certain that he knew the reason behind it. He'd heard from some of the Squad Four members that several Shinigami had perished in the battles with the Espada, two captains and three vice-captains among the casualties, and as sad as that fact was replacements would have to be found. Not to mention that permanent captains would have to be named for Squads Three, Five, Nine, Twelve and Thirteen.

_"So much tragedy,"_ the young captain thought to himself.

"What's that look for?" a voice called out, breaking into Hitsugaya's thoughts.

"I was just thinking about those that we lost," Hitsugaya replied in a rare moment of complete openness.

"Oh," Kin said as she came to stand beside her captain. The funerals for all of the fallen had been held a couple of days ago and life was just now beginning to return to normal although the sadness was still felt by everyone. "I'm sorry."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Don't worry about it. So, is Matsumoto around?"

"She was taking a nap in the office the last time I saw her," Kin replied.

"Shocking," Hitsugaya commented dryly. "Guess I should go and wake her up. The two of us have a meeting to attend in a couple of hours."

"Good luck with that," Kin said as she turned to walk away.

"I'll need it," Hitsugaya muttered as he entered the barracks. The young captain made his way down the corridor to his office and as he entered he saw that his vice-captain was indeed sound asleep on the sofa that was positioned in the center of the room.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya snapped.

Instantly awake Matsumoto jumped to her feet. "Yes captain!"

"Relax," Hitsugaya said as he walked over to his desk and sat down. "I just wanted to tell you that we have a meeting that we have to attend in a couple of hours."

"Both of us?" Matsumoto asked in surprise.

Hitsugaya nodded. "All captains, acting captains, and vice-captains."

"Well that sounds important," Matsumoto said, picking up a magazine and beginning to thumb through its pages.

"Yes," Hitsugaya said, doing his best to ignore her.

Hitsugaya passed his time attempting to finish a stack of paperwork that had piled up during his absence from Squad Ten however he didn't manage to get very much accomplished. His mind kept wandering away from his work and back to a certain pig-tailed Shinigami girl. It was true that Kin often yelled at him however she also cared about him, in her own way. Hitsugaya's teal eyes widened at this realization. She really did care about him.

"Captain?"

Hitsugaya jumped and turned toward his vice-captain. He'd forgotten that she was even in the room. "What is it Matsumoto?"

"It's almost time for that important meeting that you said the two of us had to attend," Matsumoto pointed out.

Realizing that she was correct Hitsugaya got quickly to his feet. Together the two Squad Ten officers left the Squad Ten barracks and made their way across the Seireitei toward the Squad One complex. They were two of the last to arrive and quickly took their places among the others assembled in the Squad One conference room.

Once everyone had arrived Head Captain Ukitake took his place at the front of the group. Clearing his throat Ukitake surveyed the room. "As you all know we lost two captains and three vice-captains to the Espada. We all feel their loss however for the well being of Soul Society those positions will have to be filled. This meeting is to determine who will take over as captain of each of the squads that is currently without a leader."

Hitsugaya nodded, having already realized that this was the reason behind the meeting.

* * *

By the end of the meeting all of the positions except for one had been filled. Ukitake cleared his throat once again and addressed the squad that he had, up until this point, been avoiding. "And now the only squad without a captain is Squad Five. Acting Captain Hinamori has informed me that she no longer wishes to be a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads so therefore Squad Five needs both a captain and a vice-captain."

The news that Hinamori didn't want to be a member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads came as a surprise to some however Hitsugaya was not among this group. Hinamori had already told him that she'd talked to Ukitake and that he'd offered her a position teaching kidou at the Academy. She seemed happy about this appointment and Hitsugaya thought that it would do her good.

"I have a couple of candidates in mind for these positions," Ukitake said. "However they aren't here at the moment. I wanted to find out how you felt about it before I told them. I think Ichigo Kurosaki should become Captain of Squad Five and I think Rukia Kuchiki should be vice-captain."

There was some random muttering among the assembled Shinigami as the Head Captain's words sank in. Hitsugaya was somewhat shocked by this proposal however as he thought about it more it didn't seem like such a bad choice. It was true that Kurosaki was obnoxious however his powers could not be denied. Besides Rukia could probably bully him into doing his job should he become a captain.

That thought effectively made up Hitsugaya's mind for him.

Head Captain Ukitake took a vote and Ichigo and Rukia were named Captain and Vice-Captain of Squad Five. "Excellent," Ukitake said with a smile. "Now all that's left is to inform the two of them. Thank you for your time. You're all dismissed."

With these words the occupants of the room began to scatter however Head Captain Ukitake quickly intercepted Hitsugaya and Captain Kyouraku of Squad Eight before they had the chance to leave the room. "Could I get the two of you to deliver messages to Ichigo and Rukia?"

"Sure thing Jyuu," Kyouraku said.

Hitsugaya nodded.

"Great," Ukitake said. "Shunsui I need for you to go and inform Rukia of her promotion. I think she's currently at the Kuchiki manor. And Toushirou, I need for you to travel to the world of the living and tell Ichigo that he's been named a captain. We can only hope that he accepts the appointment."

Both Hitsugaya and Kyouraku nodded and left the conference room.

Thinking that he was finally going to be able to get a measure of revenge for all of the grief that Kurosaki had given him Hitsugaya traveled through the Senkaimon to the world of the living. The young prodigy quickly traced Ichigo's reiatsu to the small clinic that his family operated and once he arrived there he climbed through the window into Ichigo's room.

"Oi!" Ichigo exclaimed as Hitsugaya sat on the window sill. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that you've been named Captain of Squad Five," Hitsugaya said in an emotionless voice, his gaze locked onto Ichigo.

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, certain that he'd heard the young captain wrong. That couldn't' possibly be true. After all he wasn't even technically a Shinigami. "What are you saying?"

"Just what it sounded like Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said with a sigh. "Head Captain Ukitake decided that you would make a good captain. And on a related note Rukia Kuchiki has been promoted to vice-captain."

Hitsugaya neglected to tell Ichigo that Rukia was going to be his vice-captain and he could see the wheels turning in the Substitute Shinigami's mind. This was great, better than he'd anticipated. Ichigo thought that he was going to be parted from his girlfriend and he seemed unable to handle that thought.

"Thanks for the message Toushirou," Ichigo said. "If you'll excuse me I have to go speak to Ukitake."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I have to go back to Soul Society as well so I'll set up the Senkaimon."

"Thanks," Ichigo said.

So Ichigo and Hitsugaya traveled to Soul Society and, once there, Ichigo quickly made his way to the Squad One barracks. When he arrived at Ukitake's office Ichigo knocked on the door and then stepped back. After a few moments a voice from within called out, "Come in."

Ichigo slid the office door open and stepped inside.

Ukitake smiled as he watched the Substitute Shinigami walk across the office toward him however his smile faltered as he noticed the look on Ichigo's face. "What's the problem Ichigo?" he asked, confused by what he saw.

"I'm flattered that you think I'd make a good captain Ukitake," Ichigo said, fixing his gaze on the Head Captain. "But I'm afraid I. . ."

Ichigo's words were cut short however as the door of the office once again slid open and a certain black-haired Shinigami girl entered the office without even bothering to announce her arrival. "Head Captain Ukitake I must speak with you. I appreciate your faith in my abilities but I can't be a vice-captain because. . ."

Rukia's voice trailed off as her gaze fell upon Ichigo and the two of them stared at one another in confusion.

Head Captain Ukitake sighed, shaking his head. In retrospect he probably should have found someone else to deliver the messages. "I think some vital information may have been left out when the two of you were informed of these appointments. Please allow me to clear things up a little bit. Ichigo you were named Captain of Squad Five and Rukia is to be your vice-captain. If you both accept that is."

"I'm going to kill that little. . ." Ichigo growled, clenching his hands into fists.

"Now Ichigo," Rukia said, relieved that she wouldn't be separated from Ichigo and now happy about her promotion. "I kept telling you about karma."

Ichigo merely shook his head.

"So," Ukitake said. "Do you accept?"

Ichigo and Rukia gazed over at each other for a split second and then nodded their heads simultaneously.

"Great!" Ukitake exclaimed. "And I've decided to make Squad Five a living world liaison squad so that Ichigo won't have to leave his family. After all he isn't technically dead yet."

"Thanks Ukitake," Ichigo said.

Ukitake nodded. "You guys are dismissed. And Ichigo. . ."

Ichigo turned back to face the Head Captain.

"Please don't kill Toushirou," Ukitake said. "We've finally managed to name captains for all of the squads and I really don't want to have to go through that again for a long time."

Ichigo let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine."

Ukitake couldn't help but laugh as the new Captain and Vice-Captain of Squad Five turned and left his office. Yes, with Ichigo joining the ranks of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads things would definitely be lively around the Seireitei. _"I hope we all survive,"_ the Head Captain thought to himself with a chuckle.

A/N - and that's the end of volume three. I know that I said at the beginning of this story that it was the end of a trilogy however it's now turned into a series. The next installment is a one-shot focusing on Toushirou and Kin. The title is Of Snowflakes and Watermelons. Hope you enjoyed this fic, feel free to review and let me know what you thought. And make sure you check out the next one. This is Hitsu-taichou signing out.


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